February 21, 2021 - Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Giving Water

 

Giving Water

Genesis 24:6-21 - New International Version (NIV)

⁶ “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. ⁷ “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. ⁸ If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” ⁹ So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

¹⁰ Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. ¹¹ He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.

¹² Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³ See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

¹⁵ Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. ¹⁶ The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

¹⁷ The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

¹⁸ “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

¹⁹ After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” ²⁰ So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. ²¹ Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.

Who did Abraham not want to be taken “back there” (verse 6)?

Why will the angel go before Abraham’s servant (verse 7)?

When would the servant be released from Abraham’s oath (verse 9)?

Where did the servant go (verse 10)?

When did the servant arrive at the spring (verse 11)?

What did the servant pray for (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why would the servant pray this very specific prayer “May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac” (verse 14)?

When did Rebekah come out (verse 15)?

What did Rebekah do (verse 16)?

What did the servant ask Rebekah (verse 17)?

How did Rebekah respond to the question (verse 18)?

How much water did Rebekah say she would draw for the camels (verse 19)?

How much water did Rebekah draw (verse 20)?

Why did the servant watch her (verse 21)?

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

Mark 9:38-41 - New International Version (NIV)

³⁸ “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

³⁹ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰ for whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

Why did John tell the person driving out demons to stop (verse 38)?

Why did Jesus tell John not to stop him (verse 39)?

Who is “for us” (verse 40)?

Who will not lose their reward (verse 41)?

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

In your opinion, what can we learn from Rebekah in Genesis 24:6-21 about the reward Jesus says in Mark 9:38-41 that “anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose”?

Acts 18:24-28 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

²⁷ When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. ²⁸ For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

Where did Apollos go to (verse 24)?

How was Apollos described (verse 24)?

How did Apollos teach about Jesus (verse 25)?

In your opinion, what did Apollos not know (verse 25)?

What did Priscilla and Aquila do (verse 26)?

In your opinion, why would “the brothers and sisters” in Ephesus encourage Apollos and write to the disciples in Achaia (verse 27)?

Who did Apollos help in Achaia (verse 27)?

How did Apollos prove to “his Jewish opponents in public debate” that Jesus was the Messiah (verse 28)?

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

In your opinion, what are the similarities between the relationships of Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos in Acts 18:24-28 and Rebekah to the servant of Abraham in Genesis 24:6-21 of Rebekah to the servant of Abraham?

In your opinion is there anyone in Acts 18:24-28 who will receive the reward that Jesus promises in Mark 9:38-42 to “anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah”?  Why or why not?

1 Corinthians 3:1-9 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. ³ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? ⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

⁵ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Who is Paul addressing this message to (verse 1)?

Why could he not address them as “people who live by the Spirit” (verse 1)?

Why did he address them as “infants in Christ” (verse 1)?

What did Paul give them because they were not yet ready for “solid food” (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why does jealousy and quarreling among the Corinthian Christians prove that they are “worldly” (verse 3)?

What does it show about the Corinthian Christians that some follow Paul and others follow Apollos (verse 4)?

What are Apollos and Paul (verse 5)?

Who made the seed (of faith) grow (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean in verse 7?

Who will be rewarded (verse 8)?

How does Paul describe the Corinthian Christians (verse 9)?

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

In your opinion, what is similar about Rebekah giving Abraham’s servant water and then watering the camels in Genesis 24:6-21 and the work of Paul and Apollos in 1 Corinthians 3:1-9? 

In your opinion, what does Paul saying that Apollos watered the seed in 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 do to enrich our understanding about the cup of water Jesus discusses in Mark 9:38-41?

In your opinion, which of the following from Acts 18:24-28 and 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 could be considered giving a disciple “a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah”?  Why or why not?

            Teaching about Jesus accurately,

Inviting Apollos home,

Explaining the way of God more accurately,

Encouraging Apollos to go to Achaia,

Refuting opponents in public debate,

Jealousy, quarreling,

Planting the seed,

Watering the seed,

In your opinion, what do these passages from Genesis, Mark, Acts and 1 Corinthians teach us about the difference between immature and mature Christians?

In your opinion, how can we, individually and as a church, give disciples “a cup of water” in Jesus name because they “belong to the Messiah” now?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

November 1, 2020 - Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Hypocrites to Heirs

Hypocrites to Heirs


Exodus 30:17-21 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹⁸ “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. ²⁰ Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, ²¹ they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

Who gave Moses the instructions (verse 17)?

What was the bronze basin for (verse 18)?

Where was the bronze basin to be put (verse 18)?

Who is to “wash their hands and feet with water from it” (verse 19)?

When are they to “wash with water so that they will not die” (verse 20)?

Who is “a lasting ordinance for” (verse 21)?

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

Mark 7:1-23 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus ² and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. ³ (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

⁵ So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

⁶ He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
⁷ They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’

⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

⁹ And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ ¹¹ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— ¹² then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. ¹³ Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

¹⁴ Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. ¹⁵ Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

¹⁷ After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. ¹⁸ “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

²⁰ He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. ²¹ For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²² adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³ All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Who came from Jerusalem and observed some of Jesus’s disciples “eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed” (verses 1 and 2)?

What are the Pharisees and Jews holding on to when they give their hands a ceremonial washing prior to eating (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what did the Pharisees and teachers of the law want to accomplish when they ask Jesus “why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands” (verse 5)?

How did Isaiah say that people would honor God when “their hearts are far from me” (verse 6)?

What have the Pharisees and teachers of the law let go of in order to “hold on to human traditions” (verse 8)?

Who said “honor your father and mother” (verse 10)?

How do the Pharisees and teachers of the law let people out of that commandment (verses 11 and 12)?

What do the Pharisees and teachers of the law use to “nullify the word of God” (verse 13)?

Where does what defiles a person come from (verses 14 and 15)?

When did Jesus ask His disciples “are you so dull” (verses 17 and 18)?

Where do the evil thoughts of “sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly” come from (verses 21 and 22)?

What do the evils that come from inside do (verse 23)?

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

In your opinion, why would the commandment that God gave to Aaron and his descendants in Exodus 30:17-21 for when they were approaching the alter have been changed by humans into the tradition that Jesus said in Mark 7:1-23 was expected to happen before eating and when returning from the marketplace?

Acts 18:24-28 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

²⁷ When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. ²⁸ For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

Where did Apollos come to (verse 24)?

What did Apollos have a “thorough knowledge of” (verse 24)?

How did Apollos speak about Jesus (verse 25)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that Apollos “knew only the baptism of John” (verse 25)?

What did Priscilla and Aquila do when they heard Apollos (verse 26)?

How did the brothers and sisters react when Apollos wanted to “go to Achaia” (verse 27)?

What was Apollos able to prove from the Scriptures (verse 28)?

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

In your opinion, how might the commandment of God to Aaron and his descendants to “wash with water so that they will not die” in Exodus 30:17-21 have taken on a different meaning for Apollos after Priscilla and Aquila “invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately” as described in Acts 18:24-28?

In your opinion, how would the Pharisees and teachers of the law who confronted Jesus in Mark 7:1-23 have been similar to the Jewish opponents of Apollos in the public debates mentioned in Acts 18:24-28?

Titus 3:3-11 – New International Version (NIV)

³ At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ⁸ This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

⁹ But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. ¹⁰ Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. ¹¹ You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

What does Paul say he and Titus lived in (verse 3)?

Why did God our Savior save Paul and Titus (and us) (verses 4 and 5)?

How did He save (verse 5)?

How was the Holy Spirit poured out generously (verses 5 and 6)?

What do we become after we are “justified by his grace” (verse 7)?

What is “excellent and profitable for everyone” (verse 8)?

Why are “foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law” to be avoided (verse 9)?

How should we respond to a divisive person (verse 10)?

What can we be sure about an unchanging, divisive person (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, how is the washing that Aaron and his descendants were do as they approached the alter in Exodus 30:17-21 similar to the washing that the Holy Spirit does for the people who are saved according to Titus 3:3-11?  How is the washing of the Holy Spirit more transforming?

In your opinion, how does Paul confirm in Titus 3:3-11 the accuracy of Jesus’s statement in Mark 7:1-23 that “what comes out a person is what defiles them”?  What does he say Jesus did for all of us who are defiled from within?

In your opinion, what can be found in Titus 3:3-11 that Apollos’s teaching when he first met Pricilla and Aquila in Acts 18:24-28 would have lacked?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Mark, Acts and Titus teach us about ourselves prior to “the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”?

In your opinion, how should we, being transformed from hypocrites to heirs by “the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” live?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)