April 5, 2026 – Easter – Everlasting Love

 

Everlasting Love

Jeremiah 31:1-6 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”

² This is what the Lord says:

“The people who survive the sword
    will find favor in the wilderness;
    I will come to give rest to Israel.”

³ The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
⁴ I will build you up again,
    and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.
Again you will take up your timbrels
    and go out to dance with the joyful.
⁵ Again you will plant vineyards
    on the hills of Samaria;
the farmers will plant them
    and enjoy their fruit.
⁶ There will be a day when watchmen cry out
    on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
    to the Lord our God.’”

What will happen “at that time” (verse 1)?

Who will “find favor in the wilderness” (verse 2)?

What had the Lord said, “in the past” (verse 3)?

Who will “Virgin Israel” go out to dance with (verse 4)?

Who will enjoy the fruit of the vineyards (verse 5)?

What will the watchmen cry out (verse 6)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about God’s relationship with us?

John 20:1-18 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

When did Mary Magdalene see that the stone had been removed from the tomb’s entrance (verse 1)?

Who did she tell, “they have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him” (verse 2)?

Who got to the tomb first (verse 4)?

What did he see in the tomb (verse 5)?

Who went into the tomb and saw the strips of linen and the “cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head” (verses 6 and7)?

When did the other disciple believe (verse 8)?

What did the two disciples still not understand (verse 9)?

Where did the two disciples go (verse 10)?

What was Mary doing when she looked into the tomb (verse 11)?

What did she see (verse 12)?

How did Mary answer the angel’s question, “Woman, why are you crying?” (verse 13)?

Who did Mary not recognize (verse 14)?

What was Mary going to do when she found out were Jesus was (verse 15)?

How did Mary respond when Jesus said “Mary” (verse 16)?

What was Mary to do (verse 17)?

Who did Mary give the news to (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about God’s relationship with us?

In your opinion, how is the everlasting love the Lord proclaimed in Jeremiah 31:1-6 displayed in John 20:1-18?

Acts 10:34-43 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Who said they realized it is true that “God does not show favoritism” (verse 34)?

Who does God accept (verse 35)?

What message did God send to the “people of Israel” (verse 36)?

When did things begin “in Galilee” (verse 37)?

How was Jesus of Nazareth anointed (verse 38)?

How was Jesus killed (verse 39)?

Who raised Jesus from the dead (verse 40)?

Who saw Jesus (verse 41)?

What were the people who saw Jesus commanded to do (verse 42)?

What do the people who believe in Jesus receive (verse 43)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about God’s relationship with us?

In your opinion, what does Peter in Acts 10:34-43 reveal about the one who proclaimed in Jeremiah 31:1-6 that “I will be the God of all the families of Israel”?

In your opinion, how does Peter in Acts 10:34-43 help us understand the significance of what John recorded in John 20:1-18?

Colossians 3:1-4 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Who have the Christians “been raised with” (verse 1)?

What should Christians set their “hearts on” (verse 1)?

What should Christians not set their minds on (verse 2)?

Where is the Christian’s life hidden (verse 3)?

How will Christians appear with Christ (verse 4)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about God’s relationship with us?

In your opinion, how is the rejoicing of the exiles in Jeremiah 31:1-6 like the Christian focus instructed in Colossians 3:1-4?

In your opinion, how is Jesus’s first message after rising to Mary Magdalene for the disciples in John 20:1-18 crucial to Colossians 3:1-4?

In your opinion, how is the message of Colossians 3:1-4 important for all those who hear and believe Peter’s message in Acts 10:34-43?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Jeremiah, John, Acts, and Colossians teach us about God’s “everlasting love”?

In your opinion, how can we respond to God’s “everlasting love” today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 4, 2021 - Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Go and Tell

Go and Tell

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”

¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶     The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷ I will not die but live,
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
¹⁸ The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

Why are we to “give thanks to the Lord” (verse 1)?

How long with His love endure (verse 2)?

What has the Lord become (verse 14)?

Where do “shouts of joy and victory” resound (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what does “the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things” mean (verse 16)?

What will the Psalmist proclaim (verse 17)?

How has the Psalmist, and sometimes us, been chastened (verse 18)?

What gates need to be opened before the Psalmist, and we, can “enter and give thanks to the Lord” (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what do these words prophesy, “This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter” (verse 20)?

Why will the Psalmist, and we, give thanks (verse 21)?

What has become the cornerstone (verse 22)?

Who has done this that “is marvelous in our eyes” (verse 23)?

How should we respond to what the Lord has done (verse 24)?

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

Mark 16:1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

What happened “when the Sabbath was over” (verse 1)?

When were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome “on their way to the tomb” (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why did they ask “who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb” (verse 3)?

What did they see “when they looked up” (verse 4)?

Who “alarmed” them (verse 5)?

Why was “Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified” not there (verse 6)?

What were they to tell “his disciples and Peter” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why were the women “trembling and bewildered” (verse 8)?

Why did they say nothing to anyone (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what does Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 help us understand about how to respond to Mark 16:1-8’s account of Jesus’s tomb being empty? 

Acts 10:34-43 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Who “began to speak” (verse 34)?

What does God not show (verse 34)?

Who does God accept “from every nation” (verse 35)?

What did the “message God sent to the people of Israel” announce (verse 36)?

How did God anoint Jesus (verse 38)?

What was Peter a witness of (verse 39)?

How was Jesus killed (verse 39)?

What did God do on the third day (verse 40)?

Who saw, ate, and drank with Jesus “after he rose from the dead” (verse 41)?

What were these people commanded to do (verse 42)?

Who “receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (verse 43)?

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

In your opinion, how do the prophecies in Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 apply to Jesus as described by Peter in Acts 10:34-43?  How do the prophecies apply to Peter, and us?

In your opinion, how is the worry of the women of Mark 16:1-8 about “who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb” transformed to the celebration in Acts 10:34-43?

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 – 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. ¹¹ Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

What does Paul want to remind the Corinthian Christians, and Christians today, of (verse 1)?

How are those who are being saved to hold to the word (verse 2)?

What is “of first importance” (verse 3, 4, and 5)?

 

How many people did the risen Jesus appear to at one time (verse 6)?

Who did Jesus appear to “last of all” (verse 8)?

Why did Paul say he was “the least of the apostles” (verse 9)?

How is Paul able to say “I am what I am” (verse 10)?

How was Paul able to say “I worked harder than all of them” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, how does 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 fulfill the Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 statement that “he has become my salvation”?

In your opinion, what three words does the angel in Mark 16:1-8 say that is at the heart of the gospel (good news) that Paul shares in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11? 

In your opinion, how are the backgrounds of Peter (Cephas) in Acts 10:34-43 and Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 different in their association with Jesus?  If their backgrounds are so different then why is their good news (gospel) so similar?

In your opinion, how do these passages from Psalms, Mark, Acts and 1 Corinthians show us how the alarm and fear in Acts are transformed into the “shouts of joy and victory” and rejoicing of Psalms?

In your opinion, how should we celebrate our good news today?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 21, 2019 – Easter – Salvation Accomplished

Salvation Accomplished


Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”

¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶     The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷ I will not die but live,
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
¹⁸ The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

How long does the Lord’s love endure (verse 1)?

What has the Lord become (verse 14)?


Where do shouts of joy and victory resound (verse 15)?


What will the psalmist proclaim (verse 17)?


In your opinion, what did the psalmist mean by “the Lord has chastened me severely” (verse 18)?


Where can the righteous enter (verse 20)?


What has the Lord become (verse 21)?


Who rejected the stone that has become the cornerstone (verse 22)?


What is “marvelous in our eyes” (verse 23)?


What should we do today (verse 24)?


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

Luke 24:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)                 

¹ On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” ⁸ Then they remembered his words.

⁹ When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹ But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹² Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

When did the women take the spices and go to the tomb (verse 1)?

What did they find (verse 2)?


What did the not find (verse 3)?


Who appeared (verse 4)?


Who ask “why do you look for the living among the dead” (verse 5)?


Where was Jesus (verse 6)?


When was the Son of Man to be raised (verse 7)?


What did they remember (verse 8)?


Who did the women tell “all these things” to (verse 9)?


Why were they not believed (verse 11)?


What did Peter do (verse 12)?


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


In your opinion, based on the words of the Psalmist in Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24 what should our reaction to Luke 24:1-12 be?


Acts 10:34-43 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Who does not show favoritism (verse 34)?

Who is accepted (verse 35)?

What message did God send to the people of Israel (verse 36)?

Where did things begin “after the baptism that John preached” (verse 37)?

What did God anoint Jesus with (verse 38)?

Who did Jesus heal (verse 38)?

How was Jesus killed (verse 39)?

When was Jesus raised from the dead (verse 40)?

Who then saw Jesus (verse 41)?

What were the witnesses commanded to testify to (verse 42)?

Who receives “forgiveness of sins through his name” (verse 43)?

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

In your opinion, in Acts 10:34-43 how does Peter help us understand how God accomplished the promise He made through the psalmist in Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24 that “he has become my salvation”?

In your opinion, what changed in Peter, who wondered what happened in Luke 24:1-12 to enable him to have the powerful testimony in Acts 10:34-43?


1 Corinthians 15:19-26 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

In your opinion, why should Christians be the “most to be pitied” if we only have hope in Christ for this life (verse 19)?

Who is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (verse 20)?


Where does death come through (verse 21)?


Where does the “resurrection of the dead” come through (verse 21)?


Who are Christians made alive in (verse 22)?


When are “those who belong to him” made alive (verse 23)?


What will happen when Christ “hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power” (verse 24)?


How long will Christ reign (verse 25)?


What is the last enemy to be destroyed (verse 26)?


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


In your opinion, how does the Psalmist who says that God has chastened him severely but has not “given me over to death” in Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24 anticipate the triumph over death that Paul proclaims that Christ will have in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26?


In your opinion, how is the statement of the two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning, that “He is not here; he is risen”, in Luke 24:1-12 combined with Paul’s proclamation in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 that Jesus is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” a powerful promise for those who hope in Christ?


In your opinion, what does Peter testify to in Acts 10:34-43 that gives credibility to Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 that Jesus will destroy death?


In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Luke, Acts and 1 Corinthians show us about the mighty things that the Lord and His “Right Hand” will accomplish?


In your opinion, how does Christ become our salvation?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)