May 4, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – A Model of Hope

A Model of Hope

Daniel 9:4-19 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. ⁶ We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

⁷ “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. ⁸ We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. ⁹ The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; ¹⁰ we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. ¹¹ All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. ¹² You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. ¹³ Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. ¹⁴ The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

¹⁵ “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. ¹⁶ Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

¹⁷ “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

How did Daniel describe God (verse 4)?

What did Daniel say they had “turned away from” (verse 5)?

Who had not listened to the prophets (verse 6)?

Where were the people who were covered with shame (verse 7)?

Why were they covered with shame (verse 8)?

How did Daniel describe God, “even though we have rebelled against him” (verse 9)?

Why have “the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God” been poured out (verse 11)?

What had the people not done even though “all this disaster has come on us” (verse 13)?

What is the Lord “in everything he does” (verse 14)?

What does Daniel say the “Lord our God” has done (verse 15)?

What does Daniel ask the Lord to do “in keeping with all your righteous acts” (verse 16)?

How does Daniel ask the Lord to look on “your desolate sanctuary” (verse 17)?

Why is Daniel able to “make requests” (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, how is hope in God displayed in this passage?

Matthew 6:5-15 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.’

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

What have hypocrites praying in public places already received (verse 5)?

Who will reward “what is done in secret” (verse 6)?

Who thinks “they will be heard because of their many words” (verse 7)?

What does our Father know (verse 8)?

Where is “our Father” (verse 9)?

What do we ask to “come” (verse 10)?

What do we ask for “today” (verse 11)?

Who have we forgiven (verse 12)?

How do we want our Father to help us with the “evil one” (verse 13)?

When will our “heavenly Father” forgive us (verse 14)?

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

In your opinion, how is hope in God displayed in this passage?

In your opinion, how does the prayer of Daniel 9:4-19 compare to the model prayer that Jesus provides in Matthew 6:5-15?

James 1:12-18 - New International Version (NIV)

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

What will the “one who perseveres under trial” receive (verse 12)?

Who does God tempt (verse 13)?

How is “each person” tempted (verse 14)?

What is the genealogy of death (verse 15)?

Where is “ever good and perfect gift” from (verse 17)?

How does God give Christians birth (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, how is hope in God displayed in this passage?

In your opinion, how does Daniel 9:4-19 introduce the concept later found in James 5:13-20 that God does not tempt anyone?

In your opinion, why when James 5:13-20 teaches that God does not lead us into temptation, does Jesus’s model prayer say “lead us not into temptation” in Matthew 6:5-15?

Jude 1:17-25 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. ¹⁸ They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

²⁰ But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

²² Be merciful to those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

²⁴ To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— ²⁵ to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

What did “the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ” foretell (verses 17 and 18)?

What do these people follow (verse 19)?

How do Christians keep themselves “in God’s love” (verses 20 and 21)?

Who should we “be merciful” to (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “show mercy, mixed with fear” (verse 23)?

Who can keep us “from stumbling” and present us “before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (verses 24 and 25)?

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

In your opinion, how is hope in God displayed in this passage?

In your opinion, when you compare what Daniel confesses about Israel and Judah in Daniel 9:4-19 with what Jude 1:17-25 anticipates for the “last times” what surprises you the most?

In your opinion, how is the model prayer of Jesus in Matthew 6:5-15 perfect for the challenges that Jude 1:17-25 anticipates?

In your opinion, despite the fears created by the intimidating challenges outlined in James 5:13-20 and Jude 1:17-25 how does Jude offer us hope?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Daniel, Matthew, James and Jude teach us about our separation from God?

In your opinion, how is the simple prayer that Jesus models a source of hope in our relationship with God?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

July 15, 2018 – Wisdom from Ecclesiastes and the Sermon on the Mount – From Meaningless to Blessed

From Meaningless to Blessed

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)        

¹ The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
    Everything is meaningless.”

³ What do people gain from all their labors
    at which they toil under the sun?
⁴ Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.
⁵ The sun rises and the sun sets,
    and hurries back to where it rises.
⁶ The wind blows to the south
    and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
    ever returning on its course.
⁷ All streams flow into the sea,
    yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
    there they return again.
⁸ All things are wearisome,
    more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
    nor the ear its fill of hearing.
⁹ What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.
¹⁰ Is there anything of which one can say,
    “Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
    it was here before our time.
¹¹ No one remembers the former generations,
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them.

Who is the Teacher who wrote Ecclesiastes (verse 1)?

What does the Teacher say is “meaningless” (verse 2)?

In your opinion, “what do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun” (verse 3)?

What comes and goes (verse 4)?

What does the sun do when it sets (verse 5)?

Where does the wind blow (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why is the sea “never full” (verse 7)?

What is “wearisome” (verse 8)?

What is “new under the sun” (verse 9)?

In your opinion, “is there anything of which one can say, “Look! There is something new”?” (verse 10)?

Who is not remembered (verse 11)?

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

Matthew 5:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

When did Jesus go up on a mountainside and sit down (verse 1)?

What did Jesus begin to do (verse 2)?

How are the poor in spirit blessed (verse 3)?

Who will be comforted  (verse 4)?

How are the meek blessed (verse 5)?

What will happen to “those who hunger and thirst for fighteousness” (verse 6)?

Who will be shown mercy (verse 7)?

How will the pure in heart be blessed (verse 8)?

Who will be called “children of God” (verse 9)?

What will the blessing be for “those who are persecuted because of righteousness” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, how can the Teacher be accurate when he says that everything is meaningless in Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 when Jesus lists people who are blessed in Matthew 5:1-10?

Colossians 3:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

What should those who “have been raised with Christ” set their hearts on (verse 1)?

What should those who “have been raised with Christ” not set their minds on (verse 2)?

Where is the life of those who “have been raised with Christ” (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean by “then you also will appear with him in glory” (verse 4)?

What should be put to death (verse 5)?

What is coming (verse 6)?

In what ways did those who “have been raised with Christ” used to walk (verses 5 and 7)?

What should those who “have been raised with Christ” do with anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips (verse 8)?

Why should those who “have been raised with Christ” not lie to each other (verse 9)?

What have those who “have been raised with Christ” put on (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, using the definitions of earthly things and things above in Colossians 3:1-10 of earthly things or things above, how would you classify the wisdom of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 and why do you classify this way?

In your opinion, how does the Paul’s teaching in Colossians 3:1-10 reveal how the people of the crowd that Jesus was talking to in Matthew 5:1-10, and people today, can move into the status of being blessed as Jesus promises?

James 1:12-18 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Who is blessed (verse 12)?

What will the one who is blessed receive (verse 12)?

Why should no one say “God is tempting me” (verse 13)?

When is “each person” tempted (verse 14)?

What does desire give birth to (verse 15)?

What gives birth to death “when it is full-grown” (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why does James say “don’t be deceived” (verse 16)?

Who “does not change like shifting shadows” (verse 17)?

How did the Father choose to give us birth (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, how does the Teacher in his wisdom find everything “meaningless” in Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 and yet James sees that “the one who perseveres under trial” is blessed?

In your opinion, how does knowing that God “chose to give us birth through the word of truth” (James 1:12-18) help us understand how the blessings of Jesus in Matthew 5:1-10 will be accomplished?

In your opinion, how does the relationship of desire and sin explained in James 1:12-18 help us have a richer understanding of the “old self with its practices” that Paul talks about in Colossians 3:1-10 and about the “new self” we are to put on?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Ecclesiastes, Matthes, Colossians and James teach us about the difference between worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom?

In your opinion, what can we change today to help us from viewing everything as meaningless to living as blessed?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

November 1, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Gardens and Prayer

  

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.”

Gardens and Prayer

Matthew 26:36-46 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁶ “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

⁴³ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Where did Jesus go with the disciples (verse 36)?

What did He instruct the disciples to do “while I go over there and pray” (verse 36)?

Who did Jesus take with Him (verse 37)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus begin to “be sorrowful and troubled” (verse 37)?

How was Jesus’ soul (verse 38)?

What did Jesus ask to be taken from Him (verse 39)?

Whose will did Jesus pray to be done (verse 39)?

What were the disciples doing when Jesus returned to them (verse 40)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus say “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (verse 41)?

What is different between Jesus’ first prayer and His second prayer (verses 39 and 42)?

Why were the disciples sleeping (verse 43)?

What did Jesus do a third time (verse 44)?

Who is the “Son of Man” delivered to (verse 45)?

Who is coming (verse 46)?

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

Genesis 3:1-7 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

Who is “more crafty than any of the wild animals” (verse 1)?

What did he say to the woman (verse 1)?

How did the woman respond (verses 2 and 3)?

In your opinion, how is her answer about the tree that is in the middle of the garden different from God’s instruction (verse 3)?

How did the serpent contradict God (verse 4)?

In your opinion, how is the serpent’s statement a truth and how is it a lie (verse 5)?

What made the woman want to eat the fruit (verse 6)?

Where was her husband and what did he do (verse 6)?

How did eating the fruit change the couple (verse 7)?

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

In your opinion, why was the outcome of Jesus’ time in the garden in Matthew 26:36-46 different from Adam and Eve’s time in the garden in Genesis 3:1-7?

Hebrews 5:7-10 - New International Version (NIV)

⁷ During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸ Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered ⁹ and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ¹⁰ and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

When did Jesus offer up “prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears” (verse 7)?

Who did Jesus offer the “prayers and petitions” to (verse 7)?

Why were Jesus “prayers and petitions” heard (verse 7)?

How did Jesus learn obedience (verse 8)?

When did Jesus become “the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (verse 9)?

What was Jesus designated by God to be (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that Eve and then Adam choose to believe the serpent about the fruit and in eating it they choose death in Genesis 3:1-7 and Jesus went with “prays and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death” but then chooses obedience to death in Hebrews 5:7-10?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion of the prayers of Jesus in Hebrews 5:7-10 help to understand more about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:36-46?

James 1:12-18 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

Who is blessed (verse 12)?

What will that person receive that the “Lord has promised to those who love him” (verse 12)?

What should we not say when we are tempted (verse 13)?

When is “each person” tempted (verse 14)?

What does “desire” give birth to after it is conceived (verse 15)?

What does “sin” give birth to when it is full-grown (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why does James tell us “don’t be deceived” (verse 16)?

Where does “every good and perfect gift” come from (verse 17)?

How does the heavenly Father choose “to give us birth” (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, how does the discussion of Paul in Hebrews 5:7-10 about the way Jesus prayed, suffered and learned obedience help us to understand how to persevere under trial as instructed by James in James 1:12-18?

In your opinion, how does the story of Adam and Eve falling prey to temptation in Genesis 3:1-1-7 illustrate for us the instruction of James in James 1:12-18 that “each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed”?

In your opinion, do you think that Jesus concluding with “your will be done” in His pleading for the cup to be taken from Him in Matthew 26:36-46 was because He focused on some variation of the truth that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” as James says in James 1:12-18?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Genesis, Hebrews and James show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 26:47 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)