Proverbs 9:7-12 – New International Version (NIV)
7 Whoever corrects a mocker invites
insults;
whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.
8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;
rebuke the wise and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their
learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For through wisdom your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
Who “invites insults” (verse 7)?
Who “incurs abuse” (verse 7)?
How do the wise respond to rebuke (verse 8)?
What happens when you “teach the righteous” (verse 9)?
What is “the
beginning of wisdom” (verse 10)?
How in “understanding”
defined (verse 10)?
How will the wise be
rewarded (verse 12)?
Who “alone will
suffer” (verse 12)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this
passage?
In your opinion, what does this
passage reveal about how people respond to God?
Matthew 7:1-6 - New International
Version (NIV)
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the
same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it
will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and
pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you
say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time
there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You
hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to
pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you
to pieces.
What happens when we
judge (verse 1)?
How will
we be judged (verse 2)?
In your opinion, what does Jesus want us to learn from the question, “why
do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention
to the plank in your own eye?” (verse 3)?
What should you do before removing “the speck from your brother’s eye”
(verse 5)?
Why should we not give “dogs what is sacred” or throw “pearls
to pigs” (verse 6)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about how people respond
to God?
In your opinion, what insight does Proverbs 9:7-12 give us about the dogs
and pigs that Jesus refers to you Matthew 7:1-6?
Romans 1:28-2:8 - New International Version (NIV)
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to
retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so
that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have
become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They
are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers,
God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil;
they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding,
no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know
God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they
not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who
practice them.
2 1You, therefore, have no excuse, you
who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you
are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same
things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those
who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a
mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you
think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show
contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and
patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to
repentance?
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant
heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath,
when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God
“will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To
those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and
immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for
those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there
will be wrath and anger.
What happened to those who “did not think it worthwhile to
retain the knowledge of God” (verse 28)?
What did they “become filled with” (verse 29)?
In your opinion, what is the most surprising in the list of
things that these people are or do (verses 29, 30, and 31)?
What do they “approve of” (verse 32)?
Who has “no excuse” (verse 1)?
What is God’s judgment based on (verse 2)?
What is God’s kindness intended to do (verse 4)?
When will God’s “righteous judgment” be revealed
(verse 5)?
How will God “repay each person” (verse 6)?
Who will God “give eternal life” to (verse 7)?
What will there be for those “who are self-seeking and
who reject the truth and follow evil” (verse 8)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion,
what does this passage reveal about how people respond to God?
In your opinion,
what does Romans 1:28-2:8 help us understand about the “mockers” and “wicked”
in Proverbs 9:7-12?
In
your opinion, how does Romans 1:28-2:8 support Jesus’s command, “do not
judge”, in Matthew 7:1-6?
Acts 13:42-52 - New International Version (NIV)
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the
synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on
the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed,
many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who
talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole
city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the
Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict
what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them
boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it
and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the
Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you a light for the
Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the
earth.’”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they
were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for
eternal life believed.
49 The word of the Lord spread
through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders
incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city.
They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from
their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their
feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And
the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Who
invited Paul and Barnabas to “speak further about these things on the next
Sabbath” (verse 42)?
What did Paul
and Barnabas urge “many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism” to
do (verse 43)?
Who “gathered to hear the word of
the Lord” (verse 44)?
What happened to the
Jews when they “saw the crowds” (verse 45)?
Why did Paul and
Barnabas “turn to the Gentiles” (verse 46)?
What were they to
bring “to the ends of the earth” (verse 47)?
Who believed (verse
48)?
What “spread
through the whole region” (verse 49)?
Who “stirred up
persecution against Paul and Barnabas” (verse 50)?
How did Paul and
Barnabas warn the people (verse 51)?
What filled the
disciples (verse 52)?
In your opinion,
what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion,
what does this passage reveal about how people respond to God?
In your opinion, based
on Proverbs 9:7-12 who would be considered a mocker and who would be considered
wise in Acts 13:42-52?
In your opinion, what do Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:42-52
help us understand about the difference between judging and giving dogs what is
sacred, both of which Jesus warned us not to do in Matthew 7:1-6?
In your opinion, how
do the actions and words of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:42-52 help us
understand how to act and speak in a world that has people given over to a “depraved
mind” as described by Romans 1:28-2:8, but also people who are “appointed
for eternal life”?
In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Proverbs, Matthew,
Romans, and Acts teach us about how to avoid letting our responses to those
around us damage our relationship with God?
As people of God, is there a need to “shake dust off”
our feet today? If so, then when?
In your
opinion, how can we be God’s light, persistent in doing good in today’s world?
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