June 15, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – What are We Building

What are We Building

Ezekiel 13:8-16 – New International Version (NIV)

⁸ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. ⁹ My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁰ “‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, ¹¹ therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. ¹² When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”

¹³ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. ¹⁴ I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵ So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, ¹⁶ those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.”’

Why is the Sovereign Lord against the false prophets of Israel (verse 8)?

Who will the Lord’s hand be against (verse 9)?

What kind of wall do the false prophets build (verse 10)?

What do they cover the wall with (verse 10)?

Who is Ezekiel to tell that the wall “is going to fall” (verse 11)?

What will people ask “when the wall collapses” (verse 12)?

What will the Sovereign Lord unleash (verse 13)?

When will the false prophets “know that I am the Lord” (verse 14)?

What will be poured out “against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash” (verse 15)?

Who “saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace” (verse 16)?

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

In your opinion, what is revealed about the people in this passage by what they built?

Matthew 7:24-29 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Who is “like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (verse 24)?

Why did the rain, streams and wind not cause the house to fall (verse 25)?

Who is “like a foolish man who built his house on sand” (verse 26)?

What happened to the house built on sand when “the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against” it (verse 27)?

How did the crowds react to Jesus as He finished the Sermon on the Mount (verse 28)?

How did Jesus teach (verse 29)?

Who did Jesus not teach like (verse 29)?

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

In your opinion, what is revealed about the people in this passage by what they built?

In your opinion, what do the false prophets of Ezekiel 13:8-16 and the foolish man in Matthew 7:24-29 have in common?

Acts 4:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ² They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³ They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

⁵ The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
    which has become the cornerstone.’

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Who did “the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees” come up to while they were speaking to the people (verse 1)?

Why were they “greatly disturbed” (verse 2)?

What did they do to Peter and John (verse 3)?

How many men believed (verse 4)?

Where did “the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law” meet (verse 5)?

Who else was at the meeting (verse 6)?

What question did they ask Peter and John (verse 7)?

How was Peter filled (verse 8)?

What were they being “called to account” for (verse 9)?

How did Peter say “this man stands before you healed” (verse 10)?

What is Jesus (verse 11)?

Who is salvation found in (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, what is revealed about the people in this passage by what they built?

In your opinion, where does the whitewashed wall of Ezekiel 13:8-16 show up in Acts 4:1-12?

In your opinion, where in Acts 4:1-12 do you see examples of building on the sand and building on the rock that Jesus talked about in Matthew 7:24-29?

1 Peter 2:4-10 - New International Version (NIV)

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

⁸ and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Who is “rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him” (verse 4)?

What are those “like living stones” being built into (verse 5)?

Who “will never be put to shame” (verse 6)?

What has “become the cornerstone” to those who do not believe (verse 7)?

What does the stone do to those who do not believe (verse 8)?

Who is to “declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (verse 9)?

What are “you” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what is revealed about the people in this passage by what they built?

In your opinion, why would the false prophets who built the whitewashed wall of Ezekiel 13:8-16 stumble over the cornerstone of 1 Peter 2:4-10?

In your opinion, what does 1 Peter 2:4-10 teach us about the rock that the wise man in Matthew 7:24-29 was building on?

In your opinion, how does 1 Peter 2:4-10 expand on his response to the “rulers and elders of the people” in Acts 4:1-12?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Ezekiel, Matthew, Acts, and 1 Peter teach us about how to determine what is whitewashed wall and what is built on the cornerstone of Jesus?

In your opinion, how can we wisely build a rock solid “house” today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

October 27, 2019 – Mark’s Good News about Jesus – The Time has Come

-                        The

The Time has Come


Daniel 2:31-45 - New International Version (NIV)

³¹ “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. ³² The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, ³³ its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. ³⁴ While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

³⁶ “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. ³⁷ Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; ³⁸ in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

³⁹ “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. ⁴⁰ Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. ⁴¹ Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. ⁴² As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. ⁴³ And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

⁴⁴ “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵ This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

How does Daniel describe the large statue before Nebuchadnezzer (verse 31)?

What were the head, chest and belly and thighs of the statue made of (verse 32)?

What was made “partly of iron and partly of baked clay” (verse 33)?

Where did the rock that was cut out “but not by human hands” hit the statue (verse 34)?

What happened to “the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold” (verse 35)?

What “filled the whole earth” (verse 35)?

Who has given the “king of kings” “dominion and power and might and glory” (verse 37)?

Who is the “head of gold” (verse 38)?

What will the fourth kingdom, the one as strong as iron, do to the preceeding kingdoms (verse 40)?

How does Daniel interpret the meaning of the feet and toes that are partly iron and partly clay (verses 41 through 43)?

How is the kingdom that God will set up be different from the other kingdoms (verse 44)?

In the vision, what represents the kingdom of God (verse 45)?

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

Mark 1:14-20 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵ “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

¹⁶ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ¹⁸ At once they left their nets and followed him.

¹⁹ When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰ Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

When did Jesus go into Galilee (verse 14)?

What does Jesus say about the kingdom of God (verse 15)?

How are those who hear His words to respond to the kingdom of God (verse 15)?

What were Simon and Andrew doing (verse 16)?

Where was Jesus going to send Simon and Andrew (verse 17)?

How did Simon and Andrew respond to Jesus’s invitation (verse 18)?

What were James and John doing when Jesus saw them (verse 19)?

How did James and John respond to Jesus’s invitation (verse 20)?

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

In your opinion, how is the calling of Simon, Andrew, James and John in Mark 1:14-20 a part of the prophecy of the cutting of the rock, “but not by human hands” in Daniel 2:31-45?

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

¹ The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ² They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³ They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

⁵ The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
    which has become the cornerstone.’

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

What were Peter and John doing when the priests, the captain of the guard, and the Sadducees came up (verse 1)?

How did the priests, the captain of the guard, and the Sadducees feel about Peter and John’s proclaiming “in Jesus the resurrection of the dead” (verse 2)?

Where did they put Peter and John (verse 3)?

How did many of the people who heard Peter and John proclaiming “in Jesus the resurrection of the dead” respond (verse 4)?

Who met in Jerusalem (verses 5 and 6)?

In your opinion, why did they ask “by what power or what name did you do this” (verse 7)?

Who filled Peter (verse 8)?

How does Peter answer the question “by what power or what name did you do this” (verses 9 and 10)?

What does Peter say Jesus is (verse 11)?

Where is salvation found (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, how is the “stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone” in Mark 1:14-20 related to the “rock that was cut out, but not by human hands” in Daniel 2:31-45?

In your opinion, how is the action of Simon (Peter) in Acts 4:1-12 similar to his action in Mark 1:14-20?  In your opinion, how are his actions different? 

 1 Peter 2:4-10 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

⁸ and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

In your opinion, who is “the living Stone” (verse 4)?

What are the “living stones” being built into (verse 5)?

Who lays the “stone in Zion” that the one who trusts in “will never be put to shame” (verse 6)?

In your opinion, how can some people view the stone as precious and others reject it (verse 7)?

Why do people stumble over the stone (verse 8)?

What do “you a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” declare (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what has changed in the people who “once had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, how are the “living stones” who Peter is writing to in 1 Peter 2:4-10 a part of the prophecy of Daniel 2:31-45?

In your opinion, how are the people that Jesus was inviting to “repent and believe the good news” in Mark 1:14-20 different from the people that Peter is calling “a chosen people” in 1 Peter 2:4-10?

In your opinion, how do the priests, captain of the temple guard and Sadducees of Acts 4:1-12 and the “living stones” of 1 Peter 2:4-10 represent the two reactions to the stone the builders rejected in both passages?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Daniel, Mark, Acts and 1 Peter help us understand about the differences between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world?

In your opinion, how should we react today to Jesus words in Mark that “the time has come”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)