October 29, 2023 – Isaiah in the New Testament – Rejoice and Be Glad

Rejoice and Be Glad

Isaiah 25:1-9 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
    you have done wonderful things,
    things planned long ago.
² You have made the city a heap of rubble,
    the fortified town a ruin,
the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.
³ Therefore strong peoples will honor you;
    cities of ruthless nations will revere you.
⁴ You have been a refuge for the poor,
    a refuge for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm
    and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless
    is like a storm driving against a wall
⁵     and like the heat of the desert.
You silence the uproar of foreigners;
    as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

⁶ On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.
⁷ On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸     he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.

⁹ In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;
    we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

 

When were the “wonderful things” the Lord has done planned (verse 1)?

What has the Lord made of the fortified town (verse 2)?

Who will revere the Lord (verse 3)?

What is the Lord to the “needy in their distress” (verse 4)?

How is the “song of the ruthless” stilled (verse 5)?

Who will the Lord prepare “a feast of rich food” for (verse 6)?

Where will the Lord destroy “the shroud that enfolds all peoples” (verse 7)?

What will the Lord do to death (verse 8)?

How should we respond to what “our God” has done (verse 9)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal to us about the power the Lord has over death?

John 5:21-29 – New International Version (NIV)

²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. ²² Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸ “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 

What does the Father give the dead (verse 21)?

Who does the Son give life to (verse 21)?

Who has the Father entrusted “all judgment” to (verse 22)?

Who “does not honor the Father” (verse 23)?

What does the one who “hears my word and believes him who sent me” have (verse 24)?

Who will not “be judged” (verse 24)?

What time “has now come” (verse 25)?

Who has “granted the Son also to have life in himself” (verse 26)?

Why has the Father “given him authority to judge” (verse 27)?

What will “all who are in their graves” hear (verse 28)?

Who will “rise to live” (verse 29)?

Who will “rise to be condemned” (verse 29)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal to us about the power the Lord has over death?

In your opinion, how does John 5:21-29 help us understand the Lord Almighty’s promise in Isaiah 25:1-9 to “swallow up death forever”?

1 Corinthians 15:50-57 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

What cannot “inherit the kingdom of God” (verse 50)?

In your opinion, why is it impossible for the “perishable” to inherit the “imperishable” (verse 50)?

What will happen to everyone (verse 51)?

When will the dead “be raised imperishable” (verse 52)?

In your opinion, will everyone, regardless of their status with Jesus, “be raised imperishable” (verse 52)?

What must the mortal clothe itself with (verse 53)?

When will the saying “death has been swallowed up in victory” come true (verse 54)?

In your opinion, where is death’s victory (verse 55)?

What is the “power of sin” (verse 56)?

Why should we thank God (verse 57)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal to us about the power the Lord has over death?

In your opinion, how does 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 help us understand the salvation that is promised by the swallowing up of death in Isaiah 25:1-9?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the life that believers have already passed from death to in John 5:21-29 and the raising of the dead in 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 that will happen at the sounding of the trumpet?

Revelation 2:8-11 – New International Version (NIV)

⁸ “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. ⁹ I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰ Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

¹¹ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Who was the letter to (verse 8)?

How is Jesus described (verse 8)?

Who is rich (verse 9)?

Who are “those who say they are Jews” (verse 9)?

What are they not to “be afraid of” (verse 10)?

Who will put some of them in prison (verse 10)?

In your opinion, why is it significant that the persecution is limited to “ten days” (verse 10)?

What will those who are faithful, “even to the point of death” receive (verse 10)?

Who will not “be hurt at all by the second death” (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal to us about the power the Lord has over death?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the “death” that Isaiah 25:1-9 says will be swallowed up forever and the “second death” that Revelation 2:8-11 says the victorious will not be hurt by?

In your opinion, what does John 5:21-29 reveal to us about the people that Revelation 2:8-11 calls “victorious”?

In your opinion, how is the discussion about the perishable and imperishable in 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 different from the discussion of death and life in Revelation 2:8-11? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, John, 1 Corinthians, and Revelation teach us about how can we be both imperishable and victorious?

In your opinion, how does God swallowing up death give us the ability to “rejoice and be glad in his salvation”?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

June 4, 2023 – John’s Writings – The Testimony of Jesus

The Testimony of Jesus

Isaiah 25:1-9 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
    you have done wonderful things,
    things planned long ago.
² You have made the city a heap of rubble,
    the fortified town a ruin,
the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.
³ Therefore strong peoples will honor you;
    cities of ruthless nations will revere you.
⁴ You have been a refuge for the poor,
    a refuge for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm
    and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless
    is like a storm driving against a wall
⁵     and like the heat of the desert.
You silence the uproar of foreigners;
    as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

⁶ On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.
⁷ On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸     he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.

⁹ In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;
    we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

What has the Lord done “in perfect faithfulness” (verse 1)?

What is now “a heap of rubble” (verse 2)?

Who will honor the Lord (verse 3)?

What has the Lord been for the needy (verse 4)?

Whose uproar does the Lord silence (verse 5)?

Where will the Lord Almighty prepare “a feast of rich food for all peoples” (verse 6)?

Where will the Lord Almighty “destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples” (verse 7)?

What will the Lord Almighty “swallow up” forever (verse 8)?

Whose “disgrace” will the Sovereign Lord remove (verse 8)?

How should God’s people react to the Lord they trusted (verse 9)?

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

In your opinion, how does this passage show us that God is in control even though the world is “under the control of the evil one”?

John 12:12-19 - New International Version (NIV)

¹² The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³ They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
    see, your king is coming,
    seated on a donkey’s colt.”

¹⁶ At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

¹⁷ Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸ Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Who “heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem” (verse 12)?

What did they take to meet Him (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what does “hosanna” mean (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what is the significance of “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what is the significance of “blessed is the king of Israel” (verse 13)?

What did Jesus sit on (verse 14)?

How was “Daughter Zion” to react when she saw “your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt” (verse 15)?

When did the disciples “understand all this” (verse 16)?

Who “continued to spread the word” (verse 17)?

Why did “many people” go out to meet him (verse 18)?

How did the Pharisees react (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, how does this passage show us that God is in control even though the world is “under the control of the evil one”?

In your opinion, would the knowledge of the crowd that Jesus had called Lazarus from the dead, have prompted the crowds with Jesus as He entered Jerusalem in John 12:12-19 to believe that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 25:1-9 that God would “swallow up death forever”?  If it is not, then what do you think is the fulfillment?

1 John 5:14-21 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

¹⁶ If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. ¹⁷ All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

¹⁸ We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. ¹⁹ We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. ²⁰ We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

²¹ Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

What “is the confidence we have in approaching God” (verse 14)?

In your opinion, how does the statement “according to his will” in verse 14 help us understand “And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” in verse 15?

What should a Christian do if they see “any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death” (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what is the “sin that leads to death” (verse 16)?

What is “all wrongdoing” (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what is the “sin that does not lead to death” (verse 17)?

Who keeps “anyone born of God” safe (verse 18)?

Can the “evil one” harm the one who is “born of God” (verse 18)?

What is the whole world under (verse 19)?

Who has “given us understanding” (verse 20)?

When are we “in him who is true” (verse 20)?

What are the “dear children” to keep themselves from (verse 21)?

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

In your opinion, how does this passage show us that God is in control even though the world is “under the control of the evil one”?

In your opinion, how is the difference between those who are saved by God and those under the control of the evil one illustrated in Isaiah 25:1-9 and in 1 John 5:14-21?

In your opinion, how does the statement “being in his Son Jesus Christ” in 1 John 5:14-21 reveal the inadequate understanding of those who were chanting when Jesus entered Jerusalem in John 12:12-19?

Revelation 19:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:

“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
²     for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
    who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

³ And again they shouted:

“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”

⁴ The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”

⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

“Praise our God,
    all you his servants,
you who fear him,
    both great and small!”

⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!
    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.
⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean,
    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

⁹ Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

¹⁰ At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

Who was shouting “Hallelujah” (verse 1)?

Why does “salvation and glory and power belong to our God” (verses 1 and 2)?

Who has God condemned (verse 2)?

What does the smoke go up from “for ever and ever” (verse 3)?

Who fell down and cried “Amen, Hallelujah” (verse 4)?

Where did the voice come from that said “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small” (verse 5)?

How loud was the great multitude who shouted “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns” (verse 6)?

What has come (verse 7)?

Who “has made herself ready” (verse 7)?

What is the “fine linen” (verse 8)?

Who is blessed (verse 9)?

Who should be worshipped (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, how does this passage show us that God is in control even though the world is “under the control of the evil one”?

In your opinion, how is the salvation that John records in Revelation 19:1-10 different from the salvation that Isaiah 25:1-9 proclaims?

In your opinion, why is the “Hosanna”, in John 12:12-19 appropriate for the people celebrating Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem, but “Hallelujah” appropriate for the great multitude of Revelation 19:1-10?

In your opinion, how is the fact that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” in 1 John 5:14-21 affected by the condemnation of “the great prostitute” of Revelation 19:1-10? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, John, 1 John and Revelation teach us about the “testimony of Jesus”?

In your opinion, how, in a world “under the control of the evil one” can we “hold to the testimony of Jesus” today?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)