October 6, 2024 – A Study of Matthew – Word of Life

Word of Life

Deuteronomy 8:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. ² Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴ Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. ⁵ Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

⁶ Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. ⁷ For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; ⁸ a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; ⁹ a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

¹⁰ When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

What do the Israelite people need to do to “live and increase” (verse 1)?

Why did the Lord lead them into the “wilderness these forty years” (verse 2)?

Who caused the Israelites to hunger (verse 3)?

What does man “live on” (verse 3)?

How long did the Israelites clothes last (verse 4)?

Where are they to know that the Lord disciplines them (verse 5)?

Who were the Israelites to revere (verse 6)?

What kind of land is the Lord bringing them into (verse 7)?

What will the Israelites lack in the land (verse 9)?

What are the Israelites to do after they “have eaten and are satisfied” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what do we learn about God’s Word in this passage?

Matthew 4:1-4 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Who led Jesus “into the wilderness” (verse 1)?

What was going to happen to Jesus in the wilderness (verse 1)?

Why was Jesus hungry (verse 2)?

Who came to Jesus (verse 3)?

What was Jesus to do if He was “the Son of God” (verse 3)?

What was written (verse 4)?

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

In your opinion, what do we learn about God’s Word in this passage?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that Moses gave the Israelite people the instruction about living on “every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” as they were preparing to leave the forty years they had spent in the wilderness in Deuteronomy 8:1-10 and Jesus quoted it to the tempter after forty days of fasting in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-4?

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

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

When “was the Word” (verse 1)?

Where was “the Word” (verse 1)?

What was “the Word” (verse 1)?

Who was the Word with “in the beginning” (verse 2)?

What was made through the Word (verse 3)?

What was made without the Word (verse 3)?

Where was the “life that was the light of all mankind” (verse 4)?

Where does the light shine (verse 5)?

What has not overcome the light (verse 5)?

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

In your opinion, what do we learn about God’s Word in this passage?

In your opinion, how is the word that Moses talks about in Deuteronomy 8:1-8 related to the Word that John introduces in John 1:1-5? 

In your opinion, how does Jesus’s answer to the tempter in Matthew 4:1-4 become more powerful when you consider that the Word is the creator, the life, and the light of humanity?

1 John 1:1-4 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete.

What does John do with “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched” (verse 1)?

What appeared (verse 2)?

What does John proclaim to (verse 2)?

Where was the life (verse 2)?

Why does John proclaim “what we have seen and heard” (verse 3)?

Who is in fellowship with John (verse 3)?

Why does John write (verse 4)?

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

In your opinion, what do we learn about God’s Word in this passage?

In your opinion, how are the commands of Moses to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 8:1-10 being fulfilled by John in 1 John 1:1-4 as he proclaims the Word of life?

In your opinion, how is the living “that comes from the mouth of God” in Matthew 4:1-4 more fully explained in 1 John 1:1-4?  How would you compare it to the life that comes from eating bread?

In your opinion, how is John’s theologically important discussion of the Word in John 1:1-5 made real by his testimony in 1 John 1:1-4?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Deuteronomy, Matthew, John and 1 John teach about what gives us life?

In your opinion, when is Jesus’s answer to the tempter appropriate for us to give today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 27, 2022 – John’s Writings – A Kingdom with Joy

A Kingdom with Joy

Ezra 1:1-4 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

² “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. ³ Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. ⁴ And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”

When did the Lord move the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia (verse 1)?

Why did the Lord move the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia (verse 1)?

What did Cyrus, king of Persia, do when the Lord moved his heart (verse 1)?

In your opinion, why did Cyrus say “the Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth” (verse 2)?

What did Cyrus say the Lord had appointed him to do (verse 2)?

Who can “go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord” (verse 3)?

How does Cyrus bless those who go to Jerusalem to build the temple (verse 3)?

What are the people around those who are going to build the temple supposed to do (verse 4)?

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

In your opinion, how does this passage show the interaction of the people (boots on the ground) and the Lord?

John 1:1-13 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Who was “in the beginning . . . with God” (verse 1)?

In your opinion, why does John stress that Jesus was “with God in the beginning” (verse 2)?

What was made through Him (verse 3)?

What was the life that was in Him (verse 4)?

Where does the light shine (verse 5)?

Why was John sent “as a witness to testify concerning that light” (verses 6 through 8)?

What does the “true light” do (verse 9)?

Who did not recognize the “true light” (verse 10)?

Who did not receive Him (verse 11)?

Who did He give “the right to become children of God” (verses 12 and 13)?

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

In your opinion, how does this passage show the interaction of the people (boots on the ground) and the Lord?

1 John 1:1-4 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete.

Where was “that which” from (verse 1)?

What is John doing with “which we have . . . heard . . . seen with our eyes . . . looked at . . . touched” (verse 1)?

In your opinion, who is the “Word of life” (verse 1)?

How did John interact with the “life” that appeared (verse 2)?

Where was the “eternal life” (verse 2)?

Why did John proclaim what he saw and heard (verse 3)?

Who does John want to have fellowship with (verse 3)?

Who does John already have fellowship with (verse 3)?

Why does John write (verse 4)?

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

In your opinion, how does this passage show the interaction of the people (boots on the ground) and the Lord?

Revelation 1:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ² who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. ³ Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

⁴ John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

⁷ “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Who is the revelation from (verse 1)?

How was the revelation made known (verse 1)?

What did John testify to (verse 2)?

Why is the “one who reads aloud” and those who “hear it and take to heart what is written in it” blessed (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why does John address the letter to “the seven churches in the province of Asia” (verse 4)?

Who is the blessing of grace and peace from (verses 4 and 5)?

What has Jesus Christ made those He loves and has freed from sins by His blood to be (verses 5 and 6)?

Who will see Him (verse 7)?

Who will “mourn because of him” (verse 7)?

How does God describe Himself in verse 8?

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

In your opinion, how does this passage show the interaction of the people (boots on the ground) and the Lord?

In your opinion, how is the call of Cyrus in Ezra 1:1-4 for those who want to participate to go to Jerusalem and build a temple similar to the invitation of Jesus in John 1:1-13 for people to receive Him and believe in His name and become “children of God” similar?   

In your opinion, how is the proclamation of Cyrus in Ezra 1:1-4 for people to go to Jerusalem and build a temple vastly different from John’s proclaiming what he has seen and heard in 1 John 1:1-4? 

In your opinion, why does John in his gospel (John 1:1-13) and in his letter (1 John 1:1-4) stress that Jesus was “in the beginning” and “from the beginning”?

In your opinion, how is the kingdom of God in Ezra 1:1-4 a foreshadowing of the kingdom of God portrayed in Revelation 1:1-8 (please consider the circumstances and the outcomes)? 

In your opinion, how is the invitation to the reader of John 1:1-13 and the invitation of the reader of Revelation 1:1-8 similar (please consider who the invitation is from and what the invitation is to)?

In your opinion, how does John’s description of Jesus in Revelation 1:1-8 fulfill his promise in 1 John 1:1-4? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Ezra, John, 1 John and Revelation teach us about how we who have our boots on the ground today can be freed from our pasts to become children of God in all circumstances?

In your opinion, how can we, who have moved from being just boots on the ground to a “kingdom and priests”, make “our joy complete”?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

June 20, 2021 - Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Eternal Words

Eternal Words

Isaiah 40:3-11 - New International Version (NIV)

³ A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be raised up,
    every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
    the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

⁶ A voice says, “Cry out.”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass,
    and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
    Surely the people are grass.
⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    but the word of our God endures forever.”

⁹ You who bring good news to Zion,
    go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
    lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
    say to the towns of Judah,
    “Here is your God!”
¹⁰ See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
    and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.
¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
    he gently leads those that have young.

What does the voice call for (verse 3)?

What will happen to “every mountain and hill” (verse 4)?

Who will see the “glory of the Lord” together (verse 5)?

What did Isaiah say when he heard the voice say, “cry out” (verse 6)?

Why does “the grass withers and the flowers fall” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, how can words, which seem much less substantial than grass or flowers, endure forever (verse 8)?

What is the good news that is to be shouted to Jerusalem (verse 9)?

How does “the Sovereign Lord” come (verse 10)?

How does He carry His lambs (verse 11)?

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

Mark 13:24-31 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ “But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
²⁵ the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

²⁶ “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷ And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

²⁸ “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. ³⁰ Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

What will “those days” be proceeded by (verse 24)?

How will the sun be affected (verse 24)?

What will be shaken (verse 25)?

How will people “see the Son of Man coming” (verse 26)?

What will He send His angels to do (verse 27)?

In your opinion, why do we know that summer is near when the fig trees “twigs get tender and its leaves come out” (verse 28)?

What can we know when we “see these things happening” (verse 29)?

In your opinion, who is “this generation” (verse 30)?

What will never pass away (verse 31)?

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

In your opinion, why is it significant that Isaiah in his prophecy about the “the glory of the Lord” being revealed to all people in Isaiah 40:3-11 states that the “word of our God endures forever” and Jesus as He describes people seeing the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” in Mark 13:24-31 says that “my words will never pass away”?      

Acts 2:29-35 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁹ “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰ But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹ Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. ³² God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. ³³ Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴ For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
³⁵ until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”’

What can Peter tell the Israelites “confidently” about David (verse 29)?

How did David know that God would place “one of his descendants on his throne” (verse 30)?

What did David say about “the resurrection of the Messiah” (verse 31)? [for more information see Psalm 16:10)

What did Peter say God has done (verses 32)?

Who did Peter say were witnesses (verse 32)?

What has Jesus poured out (verse 33)?

What did the Lord say to “my Lord” (verses 34 and 35)?

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

In your opinion, how are what Isaiah cried out in Isaiah 40:3-11 and what Peter confidently told in Acts 2:29-35 similar messages?

In your opinion, what does what Peter told the people of Jerusalem in Acts 2:29-35 help us understand if we remember the lesson from the fig tree that Jesus told the disciples in Mark 13:24-31? 

1 John 1:1-4 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete.

What does John say that he is proclaiming “concerning the Word of Life” (verse 1)?

Where was the “eternal life” that John is proclaiming (verse 2)?

Why does John proclaim “what we have seen and heard” (verse 3)?

Why does John write (verse 4)?

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

In your opinion, how the message of John in 1 John 1:1-4 like what Isaiah commanded the messenger to “say to the towns of Judah” in Isaiah 40:3-11?

In your opinion, why, in a world where words are not highly valued, does Jesus end the Mark 13:24-31 message with the statement “my words will never pass away” and John say in 1 John 1:1-4 that he is proclaiming “concerning the Word of life”? 

In your opinion, why does Peter stress that he was a witness to God raising Jesus to life in Acts 2:29-35 and John proclaim “the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us”? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Mark, Acts and 1 John teach us about what is fragile and what is permanent in the world? 

In your opinion, what can we do today to “make our joy complete”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)