November 6, 2017 – Moses and Jesus and Us – Suffering and Rejoicing

Suffering and Rejoicing

Exodus 5:22-6:12 - New International Version (NIV)

²² Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? ²³ Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”

² God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them. ⁴ I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. ⁵ Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.

⁶ “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. ⁷ I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ⁸ And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”

⁹ Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”

¹² But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?”

To whom did Moses ask “why have you brought trouble on this people” (verse 22)?

What has the Pharaoh brought to “this people” (verse 23)?

Why will the Pharaoh “drive them out of his country” (verse 1)?

How did the Lord appear “to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob” (verses 2 and 3)?

Where did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob reside as foreigners (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why does God say “I have remembered my covenant” (verse 5)?

Who is going to bring the Israelites “out from under the yoke of the Egyptians . . . and redeem . . . with mighty acts of judgment” (verse 6)?

When will the Israelites know that “I am the Lord your God” (verse 7)?

Where will the Lord bring the Israelites (verse 8)?

Why did the Israelites not listen to Moses (verse 9)?

What was Moses to tell the Pharaoh (verse 11)?

Why didn’t Moses think the Pharaoh would listen to him (verse 12)?

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

Luke 4:14-30 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. ¹⁵ He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

²² All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

²³ Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

²⁴ “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. ²⁵ I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. ²⁶ Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. ²⁷ And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸ All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

How did Jesus return to Galilee (verse 14)?

How did everyone there react to Him (verse 15)?

What was Nazareth to Jesus (verse 16)?

Which scroll was handed to Jesus (verse 17)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus pick this particular Scripture to read (verses 18 and 19)?

What did Jesus do when He finished reading (verse 20)?

How did Jesus begin (verse 21)?

In your opinion, why did the people who heard and were amazed by Jesus say “isn’t this Joseph’s son” (verse 22)?

What did Jesus say the people in Nazareth would want Him to do (verse 23)?

Where is no prophet accepted (verse 24)?

How long was the sky shut in Elijah’s time (verse 25)?

Where was Elijah sent (verse 26)?

Who was cleansed from leprosy (verse 27)?

How did the people in the synagogue react to what Jesus said (verse 28)?

What were they going to do with Jesus (verse 29)?

What did Jesus do (verse 30)?

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

In your opinion, how is the reaction of the Israelites to Moses in Exodus 5:22-6:12 similar to the reaction of the people in the synagogue in Nazareth to Jesus in Luke 4:14-30?

Hebrews 10:32-39 – New International Version (NIV)

³² Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. ³³ Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴ You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. ³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For,

“In just a little while,
    he who is coming will come
    and will not delay.”

³⁸ And,

“But my righteous one will live by faith.
    And I take no pleasure
    in the one who shrinks back.”

³⁹ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

What does Paul want the Hebrew Christians to remember (verse 32)?

Who was “publicly exposed to insult and persecution” (verse 33)?

Why were the Hebrew Christians able to joyfully accept “the confiscation of your property” (verse 34)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean by “do not throw away your confidence” (verse 35)?

What does Paul say they need to do in order to “receive what he has promised” (verse 36)?

What will happen “in just a little while” (verse 37)?

How will the righteous one live (verse 38)?

What happens to those who “shrink back” (verse 39)?

What happens to those who “have faith” (verse 39)?

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

In your opinion, how is the reaction of the people of Nazareth to Jesus in Luke 4:14-30 similar to the reaction of the Hebrews to the Hebrew Christians that Paul was writing to in Hebrews 10:32-39?

In your opinion, what is similar about the Israelite people, when they were called from their slavery to the Egyptians, in Exodus 5:22-6:12 and those who “had received the light” in Hebrews 10:32-39?

1 Peter 4:12-19 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵ If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. ¹⁶ However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And,

“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
    what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

¹⁹ So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

What are the dear friends” that Peter wrote not to be surprised at (verse 12)?

Why are they to rejoice (verse 13)?

Who rests on you “if you are insulted because of the name of Christ” (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why should we not suffer “as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler” (verse 15)?

How should we react if we “suffer as a Christian” (verse 16)?

What is it time for (verse 17)?

In your opinion, “if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner” (verse 18)?

What should “those who suffer according to God’s will” do (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that both Paul in Hebrews 10:32-39 and Peter in 1 Peter 4:12-19 write about Christians suffering?

In your opinion, how does the quote from Isaiah that Jesus claimed as His own in Luke 4:14-30 help us to understand the quote of Peter from Proverbs in 1 Peter 4:12-19?

In your opinion, how is the rejection of Moses, and God, by the Israelite people when their suffering increased after they were called from their slavery to the Egyptians in Exodus 5:22-6:12 significant to Peter’s call for us to “rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Luke, Hebrews and 1 Peter teach us to expect from the reactions of the unsaved toward Christ and His followers?

In your opinion, how do these passages prepare Christians for suffering?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

July 17, 2016 – Teachings from the Rock – Suffering and Rejoicing

Suffering and Rejoicing

Jeremiah 25:27-33 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.’ ²⁸ But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! ²⁹ See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.’

³⁰ “Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:

“‘The Lord will roar from on high;
    he will thunder from his holy dwelling
    and roar mightily against his land.
He will shout like those who tread the grapes,
    shout against all who live on the earth.
³¹ The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth,
    for the Lord will bring charges against the nations;
he will bring judgment on all mankind
    and put the wicked to the sword,’”
declares the Lord.

³² This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Look! Disaster is spreading
    from nation to nation;
a mighty storm is rising
    from the ends of the earth.”

³³ At that time those slain by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.

Who tells them to “drink, get drunk and vomit” (verse 27)?

What is Jeremiah to do ‘if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink” (verse 28)?

Where is the Lord “beginning to bring disaster” (verse 29)?

Who is the Lord Almighty calling down a sword on (verse 29)?

In your opinion, why will the Lord “roar mightily against his land” (verse 30)?

Who will the Lord shout against (verse 30)?

What will the Lord bring on all mankind (verse 31)?

Where is “a mighty storm rising” (verse 32)?

Where will “those slain by the Lord” be (verse 33)?

How will the slain be “lying on the ground” (verse 33)?

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

Matthew 5:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

What did Jesus do when He saw the crowds (verse 1)?

What did Jesus begin to do (verse 2)?

Whose is “the kingdom of heaven” (verse 3)?

How will those who mourn be blessed (verse 4)?

Who will “inherit the earth” (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (verse 6)?

How will the merciful be blessed (verse 7)?

Who will see God (verse 8)?

What will be the blessing of the peacemakers (verse 9)?

In your opinion, why are those who are persecuted because of righteousness to have the kingdom of heaven (verse 10)?

What are people who are insulted, persecuted and have evil lies told about them because of Jesus (verse 11)?

Why should we “rejoice and be glad” when we are persecuted for Jesus (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, how are the people who Jesus says are blessed in Matthew 5:1-12 different from the “mankind” that the Lord is bringing judgment on in Jeremiah 25:27-33?

Ephesians 2:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

What was the condition of those Paul was writing in to Ephesus (verse 1)?

Whose ways did the people in Ephesus follow (verse 2)?

Who is at work “in those who are disobedient” (verse 2)?

What did they a gratify (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why were they “by nature deserving wrath” (verse 3)?

What is God rich in (verse 4)?

When were we made “alive in Christ” (verse 5)?

Where did God seat us (verse 6)?

When is God going to show “the incomparable riches of his grace” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that faith “is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (verse 8)?

Why can no one boast (verse 9)?

What are we who are “God’s handiwork” created in Christ Jesus to do (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does Paul’s discussion about grace and faith in Ephesians 2:1-10 help us to understand about those who Jesus says are blessed in Matthew 5:1-12?

In your opinion, how is the richness of God’s mercy, shown by His making “us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions” as Paul states in Ephesians 2:1-10 become even more magnificent when we consider the totality of the destruction that Jeremiah saw in Jeremiah 25:27-33?

1 Peter 4:12-19 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵ If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. ¹⁶ However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And,

“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
    what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

¹⁹ So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

What does Peter say we should not be surprised by (verse 12)?

Why should we rejoice (verse 13)?

When will we be overjoyed (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why are we blessed when we are “insulted because of the name of Christ” (verse 14)?

What should we not suffer as (verse 15)?

How should respond if we suffer as a Christian (verse 16)?

What will begin with “God’s household” (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner (verses 18)?

What should those who suffer according to God’s will do (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, why does Paul, who in Ephesians 2:1-10 makes it clear that we are saved by grace through faith which is a gift of God, say we are created in “Christ Jesus to do good works” and Peter, who in 1 Peter 4:12-19 makes it clear that if we “suffer according to God’s will” that we should not only commit ourselves to God but also “continue to do good”?

In your opinion, what does comparing the blessings that are promised by Jesus if we are insulted, persecuted and have people say false things about us because of Jesus in Matthew 5:1-12 and the blessings promised by Peter in 1 Peter 4:12-19 when we are insulted “because of the name of Christ” help us to understand about those blessings?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the suffering in Jeremiah 25:27-33 when the prophet is called to say “drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you” and the suffering as a Christian in 1 Peter 4:12-19?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Jeremiah, Matthew, Ephesians and 1 Peter show us about ourselves today?