October 1, 2023 – Isaiah in the New Testament – Seeking His Kingdom and His Righteousness

Seeking His Kingdom and His Righteousness

Isaiah 11:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;
⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
    and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
    and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰ In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. 

Where will the shoot “come up from” (verse 1)?

Who will rest on the shoot (verse 2)?

In your opinion, how can you “delight in the fear of the Lord” (verse 3)?

How will He judge the needy (verse 4)?

What “will be his belt” (verse 5)?

Where will the wolf live (verse 6)?

What will the lion eat (verse 7)?

Where will the young child put its hand (verse 8)?

What will fill the earth “as the water covers the sea” (verse 9)?

Who will “stand as a banner for the peoples” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of Christ’s righteousness in a Christian life?

Matthew 6:25-34 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

What is life more than (verse 25)?

Who feeds the “birds of the air” (verse 26)?

In your opinion, “can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life” (verse 27)?

What don’t the flowers of the field do (verse 28)?

Who was not “dressed like one of these” (verse 29)?

What happens to the “grass of the field” (verse 30)?

What do pagans run after (verses 31 and 32)?

When are we to seek “his kingdom and his righteousness” (verse 33)?

What does each day have enough of (verse 34)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of Christ’s righteousness in a Christian life?

In your opinion, how is not worrying about what we eat, drink or wear, as instructed by Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34 a part of seeking the kingdom described in Isaiah 11:1-10?

Ephesians 6:10-20 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

How should we “be strong” (verse 10)?

Why should we “put on the full armor of God” (verse 11)?

Who are our struggles against (verse 12)?

What does putting on the full armor of God enable us to do “when the day of evil comes” (verse 13)?

Where should the breastplate of righteousness be (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what is the source of the righteousness?

How should our feet be fitted (verse 15)?

What can the shield of faith do (verse 16)?

What is the “sword of the Spirit” (verse 17)?

When should we pray (verse 18)?

What did Paul want prayers for him to ask for (verse 19)?

How did Paul want to declare the “mystery of the gospel” (verse 20)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of Christ’s righteousness in a Christian life?

In your opinion, why are the things that the “Spirit of the Lord” will rest upon the branch in Isaiah 11:1-10 different from the things the believer is to put on to stand against the devil’s schemes in Ephesians 6:10-20?

In your opinion, how is equipping yourself with the whole armor of God to stand against the devil’s schemes as instructed by Paul in Ephesians 6:10-20 a part of the seeking “first his kingdom and his righteousness” as commanded in Matthew 6:25-34?

2 Peter 1:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

² Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Who does Simon Peter write the letter to (verse 1)?

How are the readers to receive “grace and peace” (verse 2)?

What has “His divine power” given us (verse 3)?

What can Christians participate in through “his very great and precious promises” (verse 4)?

What are we to add to faith (verse 5)?

What is the chain that connects faith to love (verses 5, 6, and 7)?   Faith, _____________, _____________, _____________, _____________, _____________, _____________, Love

In your opinion, why is righteousness not a part of that chain?

How do we keep from “being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of Christ’s righteousness in a Christian life?

In your opinion, how does 2 Peter 1:1-8 help us understand why it is important that Isaiah 11:1-10 highlights the righteousness of the Branch?

In your opinion, how does having confidence in the promise that “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us” in 2 Peter 1:1-8 help us move away from the worrying that Matthew 6:25-34 instructs us to avoid?

In your opinion, how are the things that Christians are to put on in Ephesians 6:10-20 different from the things that Christians are to possess in increasing qualities in 2 Peter 1:1-8 different?  Why would Christians need both? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Matthew, Ephesians and 2 Peter teach us about how seeking “his kingdom and his righteousness” is the beginning of the way that Christians escape the “corruption of the world caused by evil desires”? 

In your opinion, how is seeking “his kingdom and his righteousness” critical to balancing our standing against the devil’s schemes and being productive in our “knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 4, 2022 – From Chaos - Peace

From Chaos - Peace

Isaiah 11:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;
⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
    and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
    and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰ In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. 

What will the Branch bear (verse 1)?

Who will rest on the Branch (verse 2)?

What will the Branch delight in (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what is the difference between judging “by what he sees with his eyes” and judging “with righteousness” (verses 3 and 4)?

How will the wicked be slayed (verse 4)?

What will live with the lamb (verse 6)?

Who will eat straw (verse 7)?

What will the young child do (verse 8)?

Why will “they neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain” (verse 9)?

Who will “stand as a banner for the peoples” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about the source of peace?

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Endow the king with your justice, O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
² May he judge your people in righteousness,
    your afflicted ones with justice.

³ May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
⁴ May he defend the afflicted among the people
    and save the children of the needy;
    may he crush the oppressor.
⁵ May he endure as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.
⁶ May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

¹⁸ Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,
    who alone does marvelous deeds.
¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.

What does the Psalmist pray for the king to be endowed with (verse 1)?

How does the Psalmist pray that the people will be judged (verse 2)?

What does the Psalmist pray that the hill will bring to the people (verse 3)?

Who does the Psalmist pray that the king will save (verse 4)?

How long does the Psalmist pray that the king will endure (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that the king may “be like rain falling on a mown field” (verse 6)?

Who does the Psalmist pray will flourish (verse 7)?

Who “alone does marvelous deeds” (verse 18)?

What does the Psalmist pray will be filled with the king’s glory (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about the source of peace?

In your opinion, how is the prayer of the Psalmist in Psalms 72:1-7, 18-19 a fitting prayer for the shoot that comes up from the stump of Jesse in Isaiah 11:1-10?

Romans 15:4-13 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

⁵ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, ⁶ so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷ Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. ⁸ For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed ⁹ and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
    I will sing the praises of your name.”

¹⁰ Again, it says,

“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”

¹¹ And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
    let all the peoples extol him.”

¹² And again, Isaiah says,

“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
    one who will arise to rule over the nations;
    in him the Gentiles will hope.”

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What do “the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide” help Christians have (verse 4)?

What can “the God who gives endurance and encouragement” also give us “toward each other” (verse 5)?

Who should Christians with “one mind and one voice” glorify (verse 6)?

How should Christians accept other Christians (verse 7)?

Why has Christ “become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth” (verse 8)?

What is the other reason that Christ has “become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth” (verse 9)?

Who might “glorify God for his mercy” (verse 9)?

Who are the Gentiles to rejoice with (verse 10)?

What are “all the peoples” to do (verse 11)?

Who says “the Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope” (verse 12)?

What does Paul pray for Christians to be filled with “so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (verse 13)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about the source of peace?

In your opinion, which prophesies of peace found in Isaiah 11:1-10 are shown by Paul to have been fulfilled by Jesus in Romans 15:4-13?  What prophesies remain to be fulfilled?

In your opinion, how is the prayer of the Psalmist in Psalms 72:1-7, 18-19 appropriate for Jesus as He is proclaimed by Paul in Romans 15:4-13?

Matthew 3:1-12 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

⁴ John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹ And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Where did John the Baptist preach (verse 1)?

What did he say (verse 2)?

What message does Matthew say Isaiah predicted John the Baptist would have (verse 3)?

How was John distinctive (verse 4)?

Where did people come from to see him (verse 5)?

What did people do before they were baptized by John (verse 6)?

Who did John call a “brood of vipers” (verse 7)?

What did John tell them to produce (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why did John tell them not to say to themselves “we have Abraham as our father” (verse 9)?

What trees will be “cut down and thrown into the fire” (verse 10)?

How would the One who comes after John baptize (verse 11)?

Where will the One with the winnowing fork gather the wheat in to (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about the source of peace?

In your opinion, why is the prayer for a king who judges with righteousness in Isaiah 11:1-10 significant for the One that John the Baptist said was coming after him in Matthew 3:1-12?

In your opinion, how are the prayers and praises of Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 especially appropriate for the One that John the Baptist said was coming after him in Matthew 3:1-12? 

In your opinion, how does the baptism for repentance followed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire that John the Baptist talks about in Matthew 3:1-12 prepare us for the transformation of “attitude of mind toward each other” and filling “with all joy and peace as you trust in him” that Paul prays for in Romans 15:4-13?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Psalms, Romans, and Matthew teach us about how the world will be transformed and filled with peace?

In your opinion, how do the passages help us have peace in the world that we live in now?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

July 26, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – The Gospel and Love and Patience

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Gospel and Love and Patience

Matthew 24:9-14 – New International Version (NIV)

⁹ “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Why will those Jesus is talking to be “hated by all nations” (verse 9)?

What will many turn away from (verse 10)?

Who will appear (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why will “many people” be deceived (verse 11)?

Why will the “love of most” grow cold (verse 12)?

Who will be saved (verse 13)?

Where will the “gospel of the kingdom” be preached (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that Jesus says that “you will be hated by all nations because of me” and also that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations”?

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

Isaiah 11:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;
⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
    and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
    and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰ In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.”

What will the Branch that comes up from the roots of Jesse bear (verse 1)?

How will the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, and knowledge and fear of the Lord be provided to the Branch from the roots of Jesse (verse 2)?

What will He not judge by (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to judge the needy with righteousness and to give decisions for the poor with justice (verse 4)?

Who will live with the wolf (verse 6)?

Who will lead the calf, the lion and the yearling (verse 6)?

What will the lion eat (verse 7)?

Where will the infant play (verse 8)?

Why will they “neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain” (verse 9)?

When will the “Root of Jesse” stand as a banner for the peoples (verse 10)?

Who will rally to him (verse 10)?

What will his resting place be (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, how does Isaiah in Isaiah 11:1-10 in his discussion of the Root of Jesse becoming a “banner for all nations” and that “nations will rally to him” anticipate what Jesus says in Matthew 24:9-14 about “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations”?

1 John 3:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³ All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. ⁵ But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. ⁶ No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

⁷ Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

How can we “see what great love the Father has lavished on us” (verse 1)?

Why does the world not know us (verse 1)?

What are we now (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why has “what we will be” “not yet been made known” (verse 2)?

Who will we be like (verse 2)?

What do “all who have this hope in him” do (verse 3)?

Who breaks the law (verse 4)?

Why did Jesus appear (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why does it show that someone who continues to sin has not seen Christ (verse 6)?

What warning does John give to his “dear children” (verse 7)?

Who has been sinning from the beginning (verse 8)?

Why did the Son of God appear (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what is the link between John’s statements in verse 5 “you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins” and in verse 8 “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work”?

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

In your opinion, how does the promise of Isaiah 11:1-10 that “the wolf will live with the lamb” mesh with the promise in 1 John 3:1-8 that “when Christ appears, we shall be like him”?

In your opinion, how can the intimidating statement of Jesus that “you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” in Matthew 24:9-14 and the uplifting statement that John makes in 1 John 3:1-8 that “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God” both be true?

2 Peter 3:8-15 – New International Version (NIV)

⁸ “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.”

What one thing are we not to forget (verse 8)?

Why is the Lord patient (verse 9)?

How will the “day of the Lord” come (verse 10)?

In verse 10 what will happen to:

The heavens?

The elements?

The earth and everything done in it?

In your opinion, why does Peter link everything being “destroyed in this way” with “you ought to live holy and godly lives” (verse 11)?

What will the “day of God” bring about (verse 12)?

Where does righteousness dwell (verse 13)?

How should we attempt to “be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (verse 14)?

What means salvation (verse 14)?

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

In your opinion, what does Peter’s statement “Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” in 2 Peter 3:8-15 help us to understand about the “great love the Father has lavished on us” that John talks about in 1 John 3:1-8?

In your opinion, how does this passage in Isaiah 11:1-10 “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him” anticipate “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” in 2 Peter 3:8-15?

In your opinion, how does Peter’s statement “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation” in 2 Peter 3:8-15 help us begin to understand what Jesus intends when He says “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” in Matthew 24:9-14?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Isaiah, 1 John and 2 Peter show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 24:15 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)