October 27, 2024 – A Study of Matthew – Wake Up, the Kingdom is Near

Wake Up, the Kingdom is Near

Isaiah 9:1-7 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

² The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
³ You have enlarged the nation
    and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.
⁴ For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
    you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.
⁵ Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
    will be fuel for the fire.
⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Who will there be “no more gloom for” (verse 1)?

What have the “people walking in darkness” seen (verse 2)?

What has the Lord Almighty increased (verse 3)?

What three things have been shattered (verse 4)?

Which boot “will be destined for burning” (verse 5)?

Who will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (verse 6)?

How will He establish and uphold His kingdom (verse 7)?

What “will accomplish this” (verse 7)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the kingdom of heaven?

Matthew 4:12-17 - New International Version (NIV)

¹² When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³ Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— ¹⁴ to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶ the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

When did Jesus withdraw “into Galilee” (verse 12)?

Where was Capernaum (verse 13)?

Why did Jesus go (verse 14)?

How is Galilee described (verse 15)?

Who “have seen a great light” (verse 16)?

What has dawned on “those living in the land of the shadow of death” (verse 16)?

Why are the people Jesus is preaching to called to “Repent” (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the kingdom of heaven?

In your opinion, how is David’s kingdom that the child will rule in Isaiah 9:1-7 related to the kingdom of heaven that Jesus says has “come near” in Matthew 4:12-17?

Ephesians 5:8-20 - New International Version (NIV)

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. ¹⁴ This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
    rise from the dead,
    and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What had the readers of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians once been (verse 8)?

What are they “now” (verse 8)?

What is the “fruit of the light” (verse 9)?

What are they to “find out” (verse 10)?

How are they to react to “the fruitless deeds of darkness” (verse 11)?

What is shameful (verse 12)?

What happens to “everything that is illuminated” (verse 13)?

When will Christ shine on the sleeper (verse 14)?

How should the reader live (verse 15)?

Why should the reader make “the most of every opportunity” (verse 16)?

What does the reader need to understand to avoid being “foolish” (verse 17)?

How should the reader be filled (verse 18)?

Where should the music the reader sings “to the Lord” come from (verse 19)?

What should the reader “always” do (verse 20)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the kingdom of heaven?

In your opinion, what do we learn about the darkness in Isaiah 9:1-7 from the darkness that believers in Ephesians 5:8-20 used to be in?  How is great light of Isaiah related to the “light of the Lord” in Ephesians?

In your opinion, how is the repenting that Jesus calls for in Matthew 4:12-17 related to the waking that Paul calls for in Ephesians 5:8-20?

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

¹ What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

⁴ You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? ⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Where do “fights and quarrels” come from (verse 1)?

What happens when the readers “covet” (verse 2)?

Why do the readers “not receive” (verse 3)?

Who becomes “an enemy of God” (verse 4)?

What says that “he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us” (verse 5)?

Who does God show “favor to” (verse 6)?

Who should the reader “submit” to (verse 7)?

Who should the reader “resist” (verse 7)?

When will God “come near to you” (verse 8)?

What does Paul say will happen if the readers “humble” themselves “before the Lord” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the kingdom of heaven?

In your opinion, what is the difference between God humbling the “the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali” in Isaiah 9:1-7 and people humbling themselves “before the Lord” in James 4:1-10?

In your opinion, what does James 4:1-10 reveal to us about the repenting that Jesus commanded “because the kingdom of heaven has come near” in Matthew 4:12-17?

In your opinion, how is the humbling of ourselves that James 4:1-10 commands related to the invitation to be filled by the Spirit that Ephesians 5:8-20 gives?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Matthew, Ephesians, and James teach us about the difference between the world and the kingdom of heaven?

In your opinion, how is Jesus’s call to “repent” an invitation to becoming people who always give “thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”?

In your opinion, how do we live as “children of light” in the dark world today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

July 14, 2024 – Isaiah in the New Testament – Responding to God’s Yes

Responding to God’s Yes

Isaiah 61:1-6 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
⁵ Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
⁶ And you will be called priests of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

Who was Isaiah anointed to “proclaim good news to” (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what is “the year of the Lord’s favor” (verse 2)?

What is the “oil of joy” to replace (verse 3)?

What will display the Lord’s splendor (verse 3)?

How long will the cities that are renewed have been devastated (verse 4)?

Who will “shepherd your flocks” (verse 5)?

What will “you” be called (verse 6)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to God?

Luke 4:14-30 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. ¹⁵ He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

²² All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

²³ Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

²⁴ “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. ²⁵ I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. ²⁶ Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. ²⁷ And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸ All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

How did Jesus return “to Galilee” (verse 14)?

Where did Jesus teach (verse 15)?

What did Jesus do on the Sabbath (verse 16)?

What did Jesus read from (verse 17)?

What did Jesus say after He finished reading (verse 21)?

Why were the listeners amazed at the “gracious words that came from his lips” (verse 22)?

In your opinion, why would Jesus think the people would want Him to “do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum” (verse 23)?

Who did Jesus say is “not accepted in his hometown” (verse 24)?

Who was Elijah sent to “when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land” (verses 25 and 26)?

Who did Elisha cleanse from leprosy (verse 27)?

How did the people in the synagogue react to what Jesus said (verse 28)?

What did Jesus do when they tried to “throw him off the cliff” (verses 29 and 30)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to God?

In your opinion, what can Isaiah 61:1-6 and Luke 4:14-30 teach us about who will favorably receive Jesus?

2 Corinthians 1:15-22 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. ¹⁶ I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. ¹⁷ Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?

¹⁸ But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” ¹⁹ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” ²⁰ For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. ²¹ Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, ²² set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Why did Paul want to visit Corinth first (verse 15)?

When was Paul going to visit Corinth (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what do you think Paul mean by making “plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” (verse 17)?

What is not Paul’s message (verse 18)?

What has the message from Jesus Christ “always been” (verse 19)?

How is every promise of God a “Yes” (verse 20)?

Who makes us “stand firm in Christ” (verse 21)?

What has God set “on us” (verse 22)?

Where does God put “his Spirit” (verse 22)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to God?

In your opinion, why should the fact that Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:15-22 did not visit as he intended, or that we have been hurt by people who have not followed through, not change our trust in God’s promise in Isaiah 61:1-6 to mend the hurting or free the captives?

In your opinion, how does Jesus claiming God’s anointing and Spirit for Himself in Luke 4:14-30 and Paul saying in 2 Corinthians 1:15-22 that God anoints us and puts His Spirit in our hearts help Christians have confidence in God’s “Yes” today? 

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

¹ What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

⁴ You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? ⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

“What causes fights and quarrels” (verse 1)?

What do we do when we “cannot get” what we want (verse 2)?

Why don’t we have (verse 2)?

Why don’t we have when we ask (verse 3)?

What does the person who chooses to become “a friend of the world” become (verse 4)?

What does God “jealously” long for (verse 5)?

Who does God show favor to (verse 6)?

How will the devil respond if we submit to God and resist him (verse 7)?

What are the “double-minded” to do (verse 8)?

What should joy be changed to (verse 9)?

When will the Lord lift us up (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to God?

In your opinion, how does the discussion in James 4:1-10 about who God shows favor to help us understand who will receive the blessings of Isaiah 61:1-6?

In your opinion, how does James 4:1-10 help us understand the reaction of those who took Jesus to the cliff to kill him in Luke 4:14-30?

In your opinion, how does 2 Corinthians 1:15-22 help us understand why those who have humbled themselves before God and have been lifted up as called to do in James 4:1-10 might still disappoint us?  How does it help us understand why we might disappoint ourselves?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Luke, 2 Corinthians and James teach us about how to win the battle within us?

In your opinion, how can we share God’s “Yes” today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)