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.”
Prayer, Doubting
and Maturity
Matthew 21:18-22 –
New International Version (NIV)
18 “Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the
city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went
up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you
never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the
fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do
not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can
say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If
you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
How did Jesus feel
as He was heading to the city early in the morning (verse 18)?
What
was on the fig tree that He saw beside the road (verse 19)?
Why
did the tree wither (verse 19)?
In your opinion, why were the
disciples amazed (verse 20)?
What did Jesus say that the disciples
needed in order to be able to get the mountain to throw itself into the sea (verse
21)?
When will the disciples receive
whatever they ask for in prayer (verse 22)?
In your opinion, what does this passage
from Matthew 21:18-22 show us about the Great Commission?
2 Kings 5:1-19a - New
International Version (NIV)
1 “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram.
He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because
through him the Lord had given
victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy
2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken
captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She
said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in
Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from
Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram
replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking
with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of
clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read:
“With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure
him of his leprosy.”
7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his
robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this
fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to
pick a quarrel with me!”
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had
torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have
the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So
Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s
house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash
yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you
will be cleansed.”
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he
would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the
spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar,
the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash
in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the
prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How
much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So
he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God
had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young
boy.
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of
God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the
world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not
accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
17 “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your
servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant
will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. 18 But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one
thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning
on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon,
may the Lord forgive your servant
for this.”
19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said.”
Who was Naaman and
what was wrong with him (verse 1)
Why was an Israelite girl in Naaman’s
house
(verse
2)?
Who did the
Israelite girl think could cure Naaman (verse 3)?
In your opinion, why did the King of Aram
send a letter to the King of Israel (verses 4 through 6)?
How did the King of Israel respond to the
letter (verse 7)?
What did Elisha tell the King of Israel
that Naaman would know (verse 8)?
In your opinion, why did Elisha send a
messenger to tell Naaman to bathe in the Jordan (verses 9 ad 10)?
How did Naaman react to Elisha’s
instructions (verses 11 and 12)?
How were Naaman’s servants able to change
his mind (verse 13)?
What happened when Naaman dipped himself
seven times in the Jordan (verse 14)?
In your opinion, why did Naaman tell
Elisaha that “there is no God in all the
world except in Israel” (verse 15)?
Why did Naaman request all the earth that
a pair of mules could carry (verse 17)?
What did Naaman ask the Lord to forgive
him for (verse 18)?
How did Elisha send Naaman off (verse 19)?
In your opinion, how does understanding that
Naaman almost missed getting the answer to his prayer because it did not come
in the manner he expected in 2 Kings 5:1-19a help us to understand part of the
message of Jesus about having faith and not doubting in prayer to get what we
are praying for in Matthew 21:18-22?
In your opinion, what does this passage
from 2 Kings show us about the Great Commission?
James 1:2-12 – New
International Version (NIV)
2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you
face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing
of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish
its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If
any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all
without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when
you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a
wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person
should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a
person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in
their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their
humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For
the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and
its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while
they go about their business.
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.”
What are we to consider “pure joy” (verse 2)?
How is perseverance produced (verse 3)?
When will we be “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (verse 4)?
How does God give when we ask for wisdom (verse 5)?
In your opinion, why should we “believe and not doubt” when we ask for
wisdom (verse 6)?
What should the person who “is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed
by the wind” expect to receive from the Lord (verses 6 and 7)?
In your opinion, how is a double-minded
person “unstable in all they do” (verse
8)?
Who should “take pride in their high position” (verse 9)?
Who should “take pride in their humiliation” (verse 10)?
What will happen to the rich “even while they go about their business”
(verse 11)?
How will the “one who perseveres under trial” be blessed (verse 12)?
In your opinion, how does the fact that
Naaman was blessed by healing when he not only doubted but was angry in 2 Kings
5:1-19a help us to understand what James says about “God, who gives generously to all without finding fault” in James
1:2-12?
In
your opinion, how does the statement that James makes about “the one who doubts is like a wave of
the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” in James 1:2-12 help us to understand
about what Jesus meant when He said “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not
only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this
mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive
whatever you ask for in prayer.” in Matthew 21:18-22?
In your opinion, what does this passage
from James show us about the Great Commission?
Ephesians 4:11-16 –
New International Version (NIV)
11 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the
evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people
for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until
we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and
become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by
the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the
cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead,
speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature
body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the
whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds
itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Who gave the “apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,
the pastors and teachers” (verse 11)?
Why are Christ’s people equipped for works
of service (verse 12)?
In your opinion, why do we need to “reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature” to attain “the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ” (verse 13)?
What happens to infants in the faith (verse
14)?
How will we speak the truth when we “grow to become in every respect the mature
body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (verse 15)?
What does “each part” do as “the whole
body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds
itself up in love” (verse 16)?
In your opinion, what can we learn from
the fact that both James 1:2-12 and Ephesians 4:11-16 urge us to become mature
and both also talk about being blown and tossed about?
In your opinion, how does Naaman, who went
from doubting and anger to faith that was strong enough
that he wanted the earth of Israel to take back to aid him in worshipping the
God of Israel in 2 Kings 5:1-19a help us to understand what Paul meant in
Ephesians 4:11-16 when he talked about “infants,
tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of
teaching”?
In your opinion,
how does Paul emphasizing love in his discussion of the mature, who are not “tossed back and forth by the waves” in
Ephesians 4:11-16 help us to understand the statement of Jesus in Matthew
21:18-22 “Truly
I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was
done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw
yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe,
you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”?
In your opinion, what does this passage
from Ephesians show us about the Great Commission?
Next, back to Matthew 21:23 –
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