April 8, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Devotion and Grace

Devotion and Grace

Joshua 7:1-13 - New International Version (NIV)                

¹ But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

² Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

³ When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” ⁴ So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, ⁵ who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.

⁶ Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. ⁷ And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸ Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? ⁹ The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. ¹² That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

¹³ “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

How did the Lord react to Achan son of Karmi taking some of the devoted things (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what were the devoted things (verse 1)?

Where were men to go to “spy out the region” (verse 2)?

Why were only “two or three thousand men” needed (verse 3)?

What happened to the three thousand men that went up (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why did the rout of the Israelites cause the hearts of the people to melt in fear and become like water (verse 5)?

How did Joshua and the elders of Israel react to the rout (verse 6)?

Who did Joshua think had delivered the Israelites “into the hands of the Amorites” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why did Joshua say “pardon your servant, Lord” (verse 8)?

What will the Canaanites and other people do when they hear about the rout (verse 9)?

Who told Joshua to “stand up” (verse 10)?

What had Israel done (verse 11)?

What did Israel need to do before the Lord could be with them (verse 12)?

Who was to be consecrated (verse 13)?

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

Mark 2:13-17 - New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. ¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Where did Jesus go (verse 13)?

What did Jesus do when the large crowd came to him (verse 13)?

Where was Levi son of Alphaeus when Jesus said “follow me” (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why had the tax collectors and sinners gathered at Levi’s house to eat with Jesus (verse 15)?

Who ask Jesus’s disciples “why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners” (verse 16)?

Who did Jesus say needs a doctor (verse 17)?

Who did Jesus come to call (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, how might Achan son of Karmi from Joshua 7:1-13 and Levi son of Alphaeus from Mark 2:13-17 be similar?

Acts 5:1-12a – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. ² With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

³ Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? ⁴ Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

⁵ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. ⁶ Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

⁹ Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

¹⁰ At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

¹² The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people.

What did Ananias and Sapphira do (verse 1)?

What did Ananias do with Sapphira’s “full knowledge” (verse 2)?

Who did Peter say Ananias had lied to (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what does Peter mean when he says “wasn’t the money at your disposal” (verse 4)?

How did Ananias react to Peter’s statement (verse 5)?

What did the young men do (verse 6)?

When did Sapphira come in (verse 7)?

How did Sapphira respond when Peter asked her “is this the price you and Ananias got for the land” (verse 8)?

What will the men who buried Ananias do (verse 9)?

What happened to Sapphira (verse 10)?

Who was seized by “great fear” (verse 11)?

Where were “signs and wonders” performed (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, how is Achan’s action in Joshua 7:1-13 similar to the actions of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-12a?

In your opinion, how are Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-12a different from Levi and the tax collectors and sinners from Mark 2:13-17?

1 Corinthians 15:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

What have the Corinthian Christians done with the gospel that Paul preached to them (verse 1)?

What does the gospel do (verse 2)?

What did Christ do (verse 3)?

When did Christ rise from being buried (verse 4)?

Who did Christ appear to (verses 5, 6, 7 and 8)?

Why does Paul say he does not “deserve to be called an apostle” (verse 9)?

Why is Paul what he is (verse 10)?

Who “worked harder than all of them” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what is the difference between the Corinthian Christians that Paul is talking to in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 and Achan son of Karmi in Joshua 7:1-13?

In your opinion, what are the similarities between the Corinthian Christians that Paul is talking to in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 and Levi, the tax collectors and the sinners who were dining with Jesus in Mark 2:13-17?

In your opinion, what do the actions and words of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-12a reveal about their attitude concerning what Paul told the Corinthian Christians in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 was “of first importance”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and 1 Corinthians teach us about who Jesus is calling?

How does our devotion change when we move from being sinners to being the recipients of God’s grace?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 18, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Anticipating Kingdoms

Anticipating Kingdoms

Deuteronomy 34:5-12 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵ And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. ⁶ He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. ⁷ Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. ⁸ The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

⁹ Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁰ Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, ¹¹ who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. ¹² For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Where did Moses die (verse 5)?

Who knows where Moses is buried (verse 6)?

How old was Moses when he died (verse 7)?

How long did the Israelites grieve (verse 8)?

What was Joshua filled with (verse 9)?

What set Moses apart from other prophets in Israel (verse 10)?

What did the Lord send Moses to do in Egypt (verse 11)?

Where did Moses show mighty power and perform awesome deeds (verse 12)?

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

Mark 1:1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

 ¹The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, ² as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”—
³ “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

⁴ And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Who is “Jesus the Messiah” (verse 1)?

What was the messenger that Isaiah said would come to do (verse 2)?

What was the “voice calling in the wilderness” to say (verse 3)?

Who preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why did “the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem” confess their sins and be baptized in the Jordan River (verse 5)?

What did John wear (verse 6)?

What was John’s message (verse 7)?

Who did John say Jesus would baptize with (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what does Mark say in Mark 1:1-8 that indicates that Jesus is a greater prophet than Moses, who Deuteronomy 34:5-12 proclaims as Israel’s greatest prophet?

Acts 1:1-5 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

What was the “former book” written about (verse 1)?

How did Jesus give instructions to the apostles (verse 2)?

When did Jesus present Himself to the disciples and give them convincing proofs that He was alive (verse 3)?

What command did Jesus give the apostles (verse 4)?

What did Jesus promise that the apostles would be baptized with (verse 5)?

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

In your opinion, how does John the Baptist in Mark 1:1-8 anticipate the promise of Jesus in Acts 1:1-5, “in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”?

In your opinion, how does the discussion in Deuteronomy 34:5-12 of Moses after his death and the discussion in Acts 1:1-5 of Jesus “after his suffering” illustrate the uniqueness of Jesus?

1 Corinthians 15:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

What had the Corinthian “brothers and sisters” received and taken a stand on (verse 1)?

How are we saved (verse 2)?

Why did Christ die (verse 3)?

What happened on the third day after Christ was buried (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why does Paul list the people that the risen Jesus appeared to (verses 5 through 8)?

Why does Paul say he does not “deserve to be called an apostle” (verse 9)?

What “worked harder than all of them” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does the gospel that Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 help us to understand about the “kingdom of God” that Jesus spoke about in Acts 1:1-5?

In your opinion, what does 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 help us to understand what had to be done by Jesus before He could baptize “with the Holy Spirit” as John the Baptist prophesied in Mark 1:1-8?

In your opinion, how does the grave of Moses that no one knows where is in Deuteronomy 34:5-12 foreshadow the destiny of the nation of Israel; and the raising of Jesus on the third day in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 give a wonderful hope to those who have received grace?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Deuteronomy, Mark, Acts, and 1 Corinthians help us understand about the beginning of the Israelite Kingdom and the beginning of the Kingdom of God?

In your opinion, what stand should we take?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 14, 2016 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Going and Coming

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Going and Coming

Matthew 28:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

When did Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to look at the tomb (verse 1)?

Why was there “a violent earthquake” (verse 2)?

Who looked “like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow” (verse 3)?

Why did the guards shake and become “like dead men” (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why did the angel tell the women “do not be afraid” (verse 5)?

How did the angel identify Jesus (verse 5)?

What did the angel say about Jesus (verse 6)?

Who were the women to tell “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee” (verse 7)?

How did the women feel when they “hurried away from the tomb” (verse 8)?

What did the women do when Jesus met them and said “greetings” (verse 9)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus tell them “do not be afraid” (verse 10)?

Why are His “brothers” to go to Galilee (verse 10)?

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

Genesis 3:17-19 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ “To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
    through painful toil you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow
    you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.”

What was God’s command about the fruit of the tree that Adam ate (verse 17)?

How is the ground affected by Adam eating the fruit (verse 17)?

What will it take to produce food for “all the days of your life” (verse 17)?

What will the ground produce “for you” (verse 18)?

When will the eating of the food “by the sweat of your brow” end (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to say “for dust you are and to dust you will return” (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, how was the curse to Adam and his descendants in Genesis 3:17-19 that “dust you are and to dust you will become” changed when Jesus had risen from the tomb, but risen in Matthew 28:1-10?

1 Corinthians 15:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”

Who does Paul want to remind “of the gospel I preached to you” (verse 1)?

What must be done to keep from believing “in vain” (verse 2)?

How does Paul describe the fact that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve” (verses 3 through 5)?

How many people did the risen Christ appear to at the same time (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why does Paul say that the appearance of Christ to himself was “as to one abnormally born” (verse 8)?

Why does Paul say he does not deserve to be called an apostle (verse 9)?

What allows Paul to be what he is (verse 10)?

What allowed Paul to work “harder than all of them” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, how is the curse of Adam and his descendants in Genesis 3:17-19 affected by the message of “first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” that Paul delivers in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10?

In your opinion, how are the promises of the angel and of Jesus in Matthew 28:1-10 fulfilled by the testimony of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10?

Revelation 22:12-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

¹⁴ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”

When is Jesus coming (verse 12)?

What is He bringing that He “will give to each person according to what they have done” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is Jesus trying to convey in the statement that He is the “the Alpha and the Omega” using the statements that He is “the First and the Last” and “the Beginning and the End” as additional emphasis (verse 13)?

How are those “who wash their robes” described (verse 14)?

What do those “who wash their robes” have a right to (verse 14)?

Who is outside the city (verse 15)?

What did Jesus send His angel to give (verse 16)?

Who says “Come” (verse 17)?

Who is instructed to say “Come” (verse 17)?

What “free gift” will be taken by the one who wishes (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, how does the gospel that “Christ died for our sins” which Paul shares in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 lead to the blessing of Revelation 22:12-17 that those who wash their robes have a right to “the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city”?

In your opinion, how is the curse “dust you are and to dust you will return” in Genesis 3:17-19 perfectly lifted by the invitation that Jesus makes in Revelation 22:12-17 to “Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life”?

In your opinion, why do you think that the message that Jesus sent to the disciples in Matthew 28:1-10 was to “Go” but the message that Jesus in Revelation 22:12-17 is “Come”?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Genesis, 1 Corinthians and Revelation show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 28:11 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)