October 22, 2023 – Isaiah in the New Testament – The Key to Heaven

The Key to Heaven

Isaiah 22:20-25 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ “In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. ²¹ I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. ²² I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. ²³ I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat of honor for the house of his father. ²⁴ All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.

²⁵ “In that day,” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken.

How is “Eliakim son of Hilkiah” described (verse 20)?

What will Eliakim be handed (verse 21?

Who will Eliakim “be a father to” (verse 21)?

What will be placed on Eliakim’s shoulder (verse 22)?

In your opinion, why will “what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (verse 22)?

Where will he be driven “like a peg” (verse 23)?

What will hang from Eliakim (verse 24)?

What will happen to the peg (verse 25)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal to us about the One who gives the key and the one who receives it?

Revelation 3:7-13 - New International Version (NIV)

⁷ “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. ⁸ I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹ I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

¹¹ I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ¹² The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. ¹³ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

How is the One who wrote to “angel of the church in Philadelphia” described (verse 7)?

Who can shut what He opens (verse 7)?

What has He placed before the church in Philadelphia (verse 8)?

In your opinion, how can a church with little strength be able to keep Jesus’s word and not deny His name (verse 8)?

What do the members of the “synagogue of Satan” claim to be (verse 9)?

How will the church of Philadelphia be rewarded for keeping Jesus’s “command to endure patiently” (verse 10)?

When is Jesus coming (verse 11)?

How will “the one who is victorious” be rewarded (verse 12)?

Who is to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (verse 13)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal to us about the One who gives the key and the one who receives it?

In your opinion, how is the one who holds the key of David in Isaiah 22:20-25 different from the One who holds the key in Revelation 3:7-13?

Matthew 16:13-20 – New International Version (NIV)

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Where were Jesus and the disciples (verse 13)?

What did Jesus ask the disciples (verse 13)?

How did the disciples answer (verse 14)?

What did Jesus next ask the disciples (verse 15)?

How did Simon Peter answer (verse 16)?

Who revealed the answer to Peter (verse 17)?

What will the rock that Jesus will build His church on not be overcome by (verse 18)?

What will Peter be given (verse 19)?

What order did Jesus the disciples (verse 20)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal to us about the One who gives the key and the one who receives it?

In your opinion, how is the Key of David in Isaiah 22:20-25 more limited than the keys Peter received in Matthew 16:13-20?

In your opinion, how does knowing that the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” that were given to Peter in Matthew 16:13-20 were given to him by the One who Revelation 3:7-13 says has placed an “open door that no one can shut” add significance to the keys?

John 20:19-29 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

²⁴ Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Why were the doors locked when the disciples gathered (verse 19)?

What did Jesus say when He “stood among them” (verse 19)?

How did the disciples react when they saw “his hands and side” (verse 20)?

How did Jesus say He was sending the disciples (verse 21)?

What did Jesus say after “he breathed on them” (verse 22)?

What would happen to anyone’s sins if the disciples forgave them (verse 23)?

Who was not with the “disciples when Jesus came” (verse 24)?

How did he respond when the disciples told him “we have seen the Lord” (verse 25)?

When did Jesus come and stand among them again (verse 26)?

What did Jesus tell Thomas (verse 27)?

How did Thomas respond (verse 28)?

Who did Jesus say is blessed (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 One who gives the key and the one who receives it?

In your opinion, how is Eliakim receiving the key of David and authority to open and shut in Isaiah 22:20-25 different from Jesus blessing the disciples with the Holy Spirit and giving them authority to forgive sins?

In your opinion, how is the promise of Jesus that those the disciples forgive will be forgiven in John 20:19-23 realized by the open door that will not be shut of Revelation 3:7-13?

In your opinion, how the promise of Jesus to give Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” in Matthew 16:13-20 fulfilled by Jesus in John 20:19-23? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Revelation, Matthew, and John teach us about the Key to heaven?

In your opinion, how can we share with others the invitation to walk through the open door with others today?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

May 22, 2016 – Teachings from the Rock – Stumbling Stone to Living Stones

Stumbling Stone to Living Stones

Psalms 118:15-24 – New International Version (NIV)

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.”

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

What has done mighty things (verse 16)?

What will the Psalmist proclaim (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what it mean when the Psalmist says “the Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death” (verse 18)?

What does the Psalmist ask to be opened so that he can “enter and give thanks to the Lord” (verse 19)?

Where do the righteous enter (verse 20)?

Why is the Psalmist giving thanks (verse 21)?

What has become the cornerstone (verse 22)?

Who has done this (verse 23)?

How are we to respond to all that the Lord has done (verse 24)?

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

Matthew 16:13-20 - New International Version (NIV)

¹³ “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”

What question did Jesus ask his disciples (verse 13)?

How did the reply (verse 14)?

How did Jesus change the question (verse 15)?

Who answered (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to say “you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (verse 17)?

Who revealed this answer (verse 17)?

What does Jesus call Simon son of Jonah (verses 17 and 18)?

What will Jesus build on the rock that is Peter (verse 18)?

What do the “keys from the kingdom of heaven” allow Peter to do (verse 19)?

What were the disciples not to tell (verse 20)?

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

In your opinion, what is the difference between the “stone the builders rejected” that has become the cornerstone of Psalms 118:15-24 and the “rock” upon which Jesus will build the church of Matthew 16:13-20?

Romans 12:3-13 - New International Version (NIV)

³ “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

How should we not think of ourselves (verse 3)?

How should we think of ourselves (verse 3)?

What do each of us have (verse 4)?

In your opinion, how do the many “form one body” (verse 5)?

What belongs to all the members (verse 5)?

What do we have “according to the grace given to each of us” (verse 6)?

How should we prophesy if our gift is prophesying (verse 6)?

How should we give if our gift is giving (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why must love be sincere (verse 9)?

How should we respond to evil (verse 9)?

How should we be devoted to one another (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “never be lacking in zeal” (verse 11)?

When should we be patient (verse 12)?

Who should we share with (verse 13)?

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

In your opinion, how does knowing that Peter was given the knowledge that Jesus was the “Messiah, the Son of the living God” by the Father in heaven in Matthew 16:13-20 help us be understand the “faith God has distributed to each of you” that Paul talks about in Romans 12:3-13?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s command in Romans 12:3-13 to “If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” follow the lead of the Psalmist who says “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done”?

1 Peter 2:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

⁸ and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

What should we do with “all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind” (verse 1)?

Why should we crave “pure spiritual milk” (verse 2)?

Who is “rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him” (verse 4)?

What are we “living stones” being built into (verse 5)?

Who will “never be put to shame” (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that to those who do not believe the “stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (verse 7)?

Why do people stumble (verse 8)?

Why are we a “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that we “once were not a people, but now . . . are the people of God” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, how does Paul in Romans 12:3-13 and his discussion of the individual gifts of the many members of one body help us to have a greater understanding of the chosen people, royal priesthood and holy nation that Peter calls us in 1 Peter 2:1-10?

In your opinion, how special is it that the one who Jesus said “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” in Matthew 16:13-20 is the one who tells us that “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood” in 1 Peter 2:1-10?

In your opinion, how does the Psalmist claim that “you have become my salvation” in Psalm 118:15-24 an amazing anticipation of Peter’s statement to we who come to Jesus that “once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” in 1 Peter 2:1-10?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Psalms, Matthew, Romans and 1 Peter show us about ourselves today?

Next, back to Peter 2:11 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)