December 22, 2024 – Advent 2024 – God’s Will for the Shepherd

God’s Will for the Shepherd

Micah 5:2-5a – New International Version (NIV)

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace

Who is “small among the clans of Judah” (verse 2)?

What will the one who comes from there do for the Lord (verse 2)?

How long will Israel “be abandoned” (verse 3)?

How will He “stand and shepherd his flock” (verse 4)?

Why will His flock “live securely” (verse 4)?

What will He be (verse 5)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about God’s will for His Son?

Luke 1:39-55 - New International Version (NIV)

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

Who did Mary hurry to greet (verses 39 and 40)?

What two things happened “when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting” (verse 41)?

Who did Elizabeth say was blessed (verse 42)?

What did Elizabeth call Mary (verse 43)?

What did Mary say her spirit “rejoices in” (verse 47)?

Who will call Mary “blessed” (verse 48)?

Who does God’s mercy extend to (verse 50)?

How does Mary describe those who God “has scattered” (verse 51)?

Who has God “lifted up” (verse 52)?

What has filled the hungry” (verse 53)?

Who has God remembered “to be merciful” to (verses 54 and 55)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about God’s will for His Son?

In your opinion, what does Luke 1:39-55 help us understand about the flock that the Son, the Shepherd, will stand up for in Micah 5:2-5a?

Luke 2:15-20 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Who left and went “into heaven” (verse 15)?

Where did the shepherds “go to” (verse 15)?

What were they going to see (verse 15)?

Who did they find (verse 16)?

What did they do “after they had seen him” (verse 17)?

How did “all who heard it” respond (verse 18)?

What did Mary do (verse 19)?

Who “returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (verse 20)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about God’s will for His Son?

In your opinion, how do the shepherds in Luke 2:15-20 provide an example of how we should react to the good news of Micah 5:2-5a?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that Mary hurried to Elizabeth in Luke 1:39-55 and the shepherds hurried to “see this thing that has happened” in Luke 2:15-20 but when they got where they were going the hurrying stopped?

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

⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
⁶ with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.’”

⁸ First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. ⁹ Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

When did Christ say, “sacrifice and offering you did not desire” (verse 5)?

What had God prepared for Christ (verse 5)?

What did not please God (verse 6)?

Who was written about in the scroll (verse 7)?

What had Crist come to do (verse 7)?

How were the “burnt offerings and sin offerings” that God did not desire offered (verse 8)?

What did Christ set aside (verse 9)?

How have we “been made holy” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about God’s will for His Son?

In your opinion, what does Hebrews 10:5-10 help us understand about what was prophesied in Micah 5:2-5a that the Shepherd would have to do so that His flock can “live securely”?

In your opinion, how is the magnitude of the “mercy” that Mary glorified God for in Luke 1:39-55 revealed in Hebrews 10:5-10?

In your opinion, how is Jesus’s willingness to do God’s will demonstrated in Luke 2:15-20 and in Hebrews 10:5-10?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Micah, Luke, Luke and Hebrews teach us about why it’s important that the Son becomes the Shepherd?

In your opinion, how should we respond to our Shepherd today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 26, 2021 - Mercy and Joy

Mercy and Joy

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

⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
⁶ with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.’”

⁸ First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. ⁹ Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

When did Christ speak (verse 5)?

What did the Father not desire (verse 5)?

What was prepared for Jesus (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why did “burnt offerings and sin offerings” not please God (verse 6)?

Who said “here I am” (verse 7)?

What had Jesus come to do (verse 7)?

How were the “sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings” that God did not desire offered (verse 8)?

Who said “I have come to do your will” (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what is the “first” that is set aside (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what is the “second” that is being established (verse 9)?

How have we been made holy (verse 10)?

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

Micah 5:2-5a - New International Version (NIV)

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace

How is Bethlehem described (verse 2)?

Who is coming out of Bethlehem (verse 2)?

Where is the one coming out of Bethlehem from (verse 2)?

What two things will happen at the end of Israel’s abandonment (verse 3)?

How will the One who is coming “stand and shepherd his flock” (verse 4)?

Why will His flock “live securely” (verse 4)?

What will He be (verse 5)?

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

In your opinion, how is the prophecy of Jesus coming as a ruler and shepherd in Micah 5:2-5a expanded in the prophecy that Paul quotes from the Psalms in Hebrews 10:5-10?    

Luke 1:39-45 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

What had happened before Luke 1:39-45?

Where did Mary hurry to (verse 39)?

Who did Mary greet when “she entered Zechariah’s home” (verse 40)?

What happened when Mary’s greeting was heard (verse 41)?

Who was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (verse 41)?

In your opinion, why were Mary and her child blessed (verse 42)?

How was Elizabeth favored (verse 43)?

Who “leaped for joy” (verse 44)?

Who is blessed (verse 45)?

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

In your opinion, how does Luke 1:39-45 establish that the prophecy from Psalms quoted in Hebrews 10:5-10 was being fulfilled?

In your opinion, what does the prophecy in Micah 5:2-5a indicate will happen after the baby that Elizabeth blessed in Luke 1:39-45 is born?

Luke 1:46b-55 – New International Version (NIV)

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

What does Mary say “glorifies the Lord” (verse 46b)?

How does her spirit rejoice (verse 47)?

What has the Lord been mindful of (verse 48)?

Who has “done great things for me” (verse 49)?

What “extends to those who fear him” (verse 50)?

Who has been scattered (verse 51)?

Who has been lifted up (verse 52)?

How have the hungry been treated (verse 53)?

What has He remembered (verse 54)?

Who had these things been promised to (verse 55)?

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

In your opinion, how is the mercy that Mary mentions twice in her song in Luke 1:46b-55 important to understanding what Hebrews 10:5-10 says Jesus came to do as He did God’s will? 

In your opinion, what does Luke 1:46b-55 help us begin to understand about the flock that Micah 5:2-5a says the One born in Bethlehem will shepherd?

In your opinion, how does Luke 1:46b-55 help us understand the blessing that Elizabeth says will be Mary’s in Luke 1:39-45?  How is that blessing different from what you might expect for the mother of a king?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Hebrews, Micah and Luke help us understand about what Jesus came into the world to accomplish?

In your opinion, how is Mary an example of how we, who believe that the Lord fulfills promises, should respond after being “made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ”?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 23, 2018 – Christmas – Salvation, Anticipated and Received

Salvation, Anticipated and Received

Psalm 80:1-7 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
    you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
    shine forth ² before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
    come and save us.

³ Restore us, O God;
    make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.

⁴ How long, Lord God Almighty,
    will your anger smolder
    against the prayers of your people?
⁵ You have fed them with the bread of tears;
    you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
⁶ You have made us an object of derision to our neighbors,
    and our enemies mock us.

⁷ Restore us, God Almighty;
    make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.

Who did the “Shepherd of Israel” lead (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what does the psalmist mean by “awaken your might” (verse 2)?

Why did the psalmist want God’s face to shine on him (verse 3)?

What did the psalmist say God’s anger was smoldering against (verse 4)?

What did the psalmist say God fed His people (verse 5)?

Who is an “object of derision” (verse 6)?

How does the psalmist ask for God to save them (verse 7)?

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

Micah 5:2-5a - New International Version (NIV)                 

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace

Who will come from Bethlehem Ephrathah (verse 2)?

What are the origins of the one who will come (verse 2)?

What will end “when she who is in labor bears a son” (verse 3)?

Who will return “when she who is in labor bears a son” (verse 3)?

How will the son “stand and shepherd his flock” (verse 4)?

Why will his flock “live securely” (verse 4)?

What will the son be (verse 5)?

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

In your opinion, what is similar about the salvations that Micah 5:2-5a and Psalm 80:1-7 seek?

Luke 1:39-55 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

Where did Mary hurry to (verse 39)?

Where did Mary greet Elizabeth (verse 40)?

What happened when Mary greeted Elizabeth (verse 41)?

Who did Elizabeth again say was blessed (verse 42)?

In your opinion, why did Elizabeth ask “why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me” (verse 43)?

Who does Elizabeth say is blessed (verse 45)?

How does Mary’s soul respond to “the Lord” (verse 46)?

Who does Mary’s spirit “rejoice in” (verse 47)?

What has God been “mindful of” (verse 48)?

Who has done “great things” for Mary (verse 49)?

Who does God extend mercy to (verse 50)?

Who has God scattered (verse 51)?

Who has God lifted up (verse 52)?

Who has God “sent away empty” (verse 53)?

What has God remembered to be (verse 54)?

Who did God promise these things to (verse 55)?

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

In your opinion, what does the psalmist pleading for God to “awaken your might, come and save us” in Psalm 80:1-7 but God delivering salvation through a humble girl in Luke 1:39-55 teach us?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that according to Micah 5:2-5a God’s chosen will come from the small town of Bethlehem and that in Luke 1:39-55 Mary, the mother of the Saviour, sings about her humble state?

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

⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
⁶ with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.’”

⁸ First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. ⁹ Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

What did Christ say God did not desire (verse 5)?

What had God prepared for Christ (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why was God not pleased with “burnt offerings and sin offerings” (verse 6)?

Who said “I have come to do your will, my God” (verse 7)?

What did Christ say first (verse 8)?

What did Christ then say (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says “He sets aside the first to establish the second” (verse 9)?

How are Christians made holy (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does Hebrews 10:5-10 teach us about how God answered the psalmist’s prayer in Psalms 80:1-7?

In your opinion, what does Hebrews 10:5-10 teach us about the ruler that Micah 5:2-5a indicated was coming from Bethlehem to rule the world?

In your opinion, what does Hebrews 10:5-10 teach us about the mercy of the Mighty One that Mary sang about in Luke 1:39-55?

In your opinion, how do these passages from Psalms, Micah, Luke and Hebrews help us in the process of moving from a desire for salvation, to an understanding of where salvation comes from, to salvation?

In your opinion, how can we who have accepted Mary’s Child as our Savior and Shepherd glorify the Lord and rejoice in God our Savior?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 24, 2017 – Finding Christ in Christmas

-            The

December 24, 2017 – Finding Christ in Christmas

Finding Christ in Christmas

Micah 5:2-5a - New International Version (NIV)

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace

Who will come out of Bethlehem (verse 2)?

When will the abandonment of Israel end (verse 3)?

What will He do in the “strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God” (verse 4)?

What will He be (verse 5)?

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

Matthew 2:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Where did the Magi come from (verse 1)?

Who were they looking for (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why was King Herod and all Jerusalem disturbed (verse 3)?

Who did King Herod ask “where the Messiah was to be born” (verse 4)?

How did they know that the answer was “in Bethlehem in Judea” (verse 5)?

Who was to come out of Bethlehem (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why did Herod ask for “the exact time the star had appeared” (verse 7)?

What instructions did King Herod give to the Magi (verse 8)?

Where did the star stop (verse 9)?

How did they feel when the star stopped (verse 10)?

What did they do when “they saw the child with his mother Mary” (verse 11)?

Why did they go home “by another route” (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, how does “the child with his mother Mary” in Matthew 2:1-12 fulfill Micah’s prophecy “until the time when she who is in labor bears a son” in Micah 5:2-5a?

1 Corinthians 1:22-25 – New International Version (NIV)

²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Who demands signs (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says that “Greeks look for wisdom” (verse 22)?

Who is “a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (verse 23)?

What is the “stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” to those God has called (verse 24)?

What is “wiser than human wisdom” (verse 25)?

What is “stronger than human strength” (verse 25)?

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

In your opinion, how does the Magi, going to Jerusalem to find the “one who has been born king of the Jews” then continuing to follow the star in Matthew 2:1-12 demonstrate what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25?

In your opinion, how is Micah’s statement “and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites” in Micah 5:2-5a fulfilled in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25?

Revelation 5:9-14 – New International Version (NIV)

⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood you purchased for God
    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
    and they will reign on the earth.”

¹¹ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹² In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”

¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
    be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

¹⁴ The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Why is Jesus “worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals” (verse 9)?

Who will be “a kingdom and priests to serve our God” (verse 10)?

How many angels did John hear (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why is “the Lamb, who was slain” worthy to receive “power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” (verse 12)?

Who does John hear saying “to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever” (verse 13)?

How do the four living creatures respond (verse 14)?

How do the elders respond (verse 14)?

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

In your opinion, what does Revelation 5:9-14 reveal to us about what is accomplished by “Christ crucified” that Paul preaches of in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25?

In your opinion, who, of all the people who are mentioned by Matthew in Matthew 2:1-12, will join the Magi in uttering the praise that John reveals in Revelation 5:9-14 “to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever”?

In your opinion, what does Revelation 5:9-14 reveal to us about how the anticipated Son in Micah 5:2-5a will bring the peace Micah promises?

In your opinion, how do these passages from Micah, Matthew, 1 Corinthians, and Revelation help us to find the significance of the baby whose birth we celebrate this Christmas season?

In your opinion, how can the Magi’s celebration of Jesus’s birth guide our celebration of Jesus’s birth today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)