March 31, 2024 – Isaiah in the New Testament – Words and Wondering

Words and Wondering

Isaiah 55:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost.
² Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.
³ Give ear and come to me;
    listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
    my faithful love promised to David.
⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander of the peoples.
⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”

⁶ Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 

Who are to “come to the waters” (verse 1)?

What was “promised to David” (verse 3)?

Who is He made “a witness to” (verse 4)?

Who will “come running to you” (verse 5)?

When should we “seek the Lord” (verse 6)?

What will happen to the wicked and the unrighteous if they “turn to the Lord” (verse 7)?

What are not our thoughts or our ways (verse 8)?

How different are the Lord’s ways than our ways (verse 9)?

What do the rain and snow do before returning to heaven (verse 10)?

What will the “word that goes out” from God’s mouth accomplish (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, which words of this passage are important to remember in the times we wonder what is happening?

Luke 24:1-12 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” ⁸ Then they remembered his words.

⁹ When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹ But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹² Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

When did the women take “the spices they had prepared” to the tomb (verse 1)?

What did they find (verse 2)?

What did they not find (verse 3)?

Who appeared “while they were wondering about this” (verse 4)?

How did the women react (verse 5)?

Why was Jesus not in the tomb (verse 6)?

What had Jesus told them while they were in Galilee (verse 7)?

Who did they tell “all these things” to (verse 9)?

Who were the women (verse 10)?

Why did the Eleven not believe the women (verse 11)?

What was Peter doing when he left the tomb, after seeing “the strips of linen lying by themselves” (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, which words of this passage are important to remember in the times we wonder what is happening?

In your opinion, how is the truth that the women told on Easter morning that seemed to the Eleven to be nonsense in Luke 24:1-12 the fulfillment of the “faithful love promised to David” in Isaiah 55:1-11?

Acts 13:32-41 – New International Version (NIV)

³² “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors ³³ he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:

“‘You are my son;
    today I have become your father.’

³⁴ God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’

³⁵ So it is also stated elsewhere:

“‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’

³⁶ “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. ³⁷ But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

³⁸ “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers,
    wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
    that you would never believe,
    even if someone told you.’”

What is Paul telling (verse 32)?

How has God fulfilled what was “promised to our ancestors” (verses 32 and 33)?

Why will He “never be subject to decay” (verse 34)?

Who did God promise the “holy and sure blessings” to (verse 34)?

What will the “holy one” not see (verse 35)?

What happened “when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation” (verse 36)?

Who “did not see decay” (verse 37)?

What is proclaimed “through Jesus” (verse 38)?

Who “is set free from every sin” (verse 39)?

Who will “wonder and perish” because they will never believe (verse 41)?

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

In your opinion, which words of this passage are important to remember in the times we wonder what is happening?

 

In your opinion, how does Acts 13:32-41 prove the truth of Isaiah 55:1-11 that God’s word does “accomplish what” He desires, achieves “the purpose for which” He sent it, and fulfills the “faithful love promised to David”?

In your opinion, how does Paul in Acts 13:32-41 help us in our wondering as Peter did in Luke 24:1-12 about “what had happened” that the strips of linen were lying by themselves in an empty tomb?

Romans 1:1-7 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— ² the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures ³ regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, ⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵ Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. ⁶ And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

⁷ To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Who does Paul serve (verse 1)?

What is Paul “set apart for” (verse 1)?

How was the gospel “promised beforehand” (verse 2)?

Who is God’s Son “as to his earthly life” (verse 3)?

Who was Jesus appointed as “in power by his resurrection from the dead” (verse 4)?

Why did Paul receive “grace and apostleship” (verse 5)?

Who are the people Paul is writing to (verse 6)?

What blessing does Paul give to those he is writing to who have been “called to be his holy people” (verse 7)?

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

In your opinion, which words of this passage are important to remember in the times we wonder what is happening?

In your opinion, how does God through Isaiah in Isaiah 55:1-11 lay the groundwork for Paul to claim in Romans 1:1-7 that the “descendent of David” has been appointed “the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead” who calls Gentiles to obedience?

In your opinion, how does Paul in Romans 1:1-7 use the empty tomb of Luke 24:1-12 to define who Jesus is appointed to be?

In your opinion, how is the resurrection at the heart of the good news of Acts 13:32-41 and the gospel of Romans 1:1-7? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Luke, Acts and Romans teach us about the high thoughts and transforming love of God as displayed by the empty tomb?

In your opinion, how does remembering God’s words, like the women at the tomb help us when we wonder about things today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 21, 2019 – Easter – Salvation Accomplished

Salvation Accomplished


Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”

¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶     The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷ I will not die but live,
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
¹⁸ The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

How long does the Lord’s love endure (verse 1)?

What has the Lord become (verse 14)?


Where do shouts of joy and victory resound (verse 15)?


What will the psalmist proclaim (verse 17)?


In your opinion, what did the psalmist mean by “the Lord has chastened me severely” (verse 18)?


Where can the righteous enter (verse 20)?


What has the Lord become (verse 21)?


Who rejected the stone that has become the cornerstone (verse 22)?


What is “marvelous in our eyes” (verse 23)?


What should we do today (verse 24)?


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

Luke 24:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)                 

¹ On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” ⁸ Then they remembered his words.

⁹ When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹ But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹² Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

When did the women take the spices and go to the tomb (verse 1)?

What did they find (verse 2)?


What did the not find (verse 3)?


Who appeared (verse 4)?


Who ask “why do you look for the living among the dead” (verse 5)?


Where was Jesus (verse 6)?


When was the Son of Man to be raised (verse 7)?


What did they remember (verse 8)?


Who did the women tell “all these things” to (verse 9)?


Why were they not believed (verse 11)?


What did Peter do (verse 12)?


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


In your opinion, based on the words of the Psalmist in Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24 what should our reaction to Luke 24:1-12 be?


Acts 10:34-43 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Who does not show favoritism (verse 34)?

Who is accepted (verse 35)?

What message did God send to the people of Israel (verse 36)?

Where did things begin “after the baptism that John preached” (verse 37)?

What did God anoint Jesus with (verse 38)?

Who did Jesus heal (verse 38)?

How was Jesus killed (verse 39)?

When was Jesus raised from the dead (verse 40)?

Who then saw Jesus (verse 41)?

What were the witnesses commanded to testify to (verse 42)?

Who receives “forgiveness of sins through his name” (verse 43)?

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

In your opinion, in Acts 10:34-43 how does Peter help us understand how God accomplished the promise He made through the psalmist in Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24 that “he has become my salvation”?

In your opinion, what changed in Peter, who wondered what happened in Luke 24:1-12 to enable him to have the powerful testimony in Acts 10:34-43?


1 Corinthians 15:19-26 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

In your opinion, why should Christians be the “most to be pitied” if we only have hope in Christ for this life (verse 19)?

Who is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (verse 20)?


Where does death come through (verse 21)?


Where does the “resurrection of the dead” come through (verse 21)?


Who are Christians made alive in (verse 22)?


When are “those who belong to him” made alive (verse 23)?


What will happen when Christ “hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power” (verse 24)?


How long will Christ reign (verse 25)?


What is the last enemy to be destroyed (verse 26)?


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


In your opinion, how does the Psalmist who says that God has chastened him severely but has not “given me over to death” in Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24 anticipate the triumph over death that Paul proclaims that Christ will have in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26?


In your opinion, how is the statement of the two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning, that “He is not here; he is risen”, in Luke 24:1-12 combined with Paul’s proclamation in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 that Jesus is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” a powerful promise for those who hope in Christ?


In your opinion, what does Peter testify to in Acts 10:34-43 that gives credibility to Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 that Jesus will destroy death?


In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Luke, Acts and 1 Corinthians show us about the mighty things that the Lord and His “Right Hand” will accomplish?


In your opinion, how does Christ become our salvation?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)