May 11, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – The Lost and the Harvest

May 11, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – The Lost and the Harvest

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.”

The Lost and the Harvest

Matthew 9:18-38 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ “While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

²³ When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, ²⁴ he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. ²⁵ After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. ²⁶ News of this spread through all that region.

²⁷ As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

²⁸ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; ³⁰ and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” ³¹ But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

³² While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. ³³ And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Who came to Jesus (verse 18)?

Why did he come to Jesus (verse 18)?

What did he ask Jesus to do (verse 18)?

How did Jesus respond (verse 19)?

Who came up to Jesus and touched His cloak (verse 20)?

What had she said to herself (verse 21)?

In your opinion, what did the prestigious synagogue leader and the unclean woman have in common?

What happened to the unclean woman (verse 22)?

In your opinion, how did it feel at the synagogue leader’s house (verses 23 and 24)?

Who responded to Jesus touch at the synagogue leader’s house (verse 25)?

Who followed out to Jesus when He left the synagogue leader’s house (verse 27)?

In your opinion, how would they have felt when called out to Him and He did not stop for a while (verse 28)?

What did they say when Jesus ask them “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (verse 28)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus say “According to your faith let it be done to you” (verse 29)?

After they were healed who was brought to Jesus (verse 32)?

What did Jesus do for him (verse 33)?

How did the crowd respond (verse 33)?

In your opinion, why did the Pharisees say “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons” (verse 34)?

What did Jesus do as He went through the towns and villages (verse 35)?

Why did Jesus have compassion on the crowds (verse 36)?

In your opinion, would the Matthew have given the description of the specific healings to help us understand the crowds and Jesus compassion?

In your opinion, why did Jesus say that “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” (verse 37)?

What instruction did Jesus give His disciples (verse38)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 9:18-38 show us about the Great Commission?

Ezekiel 34:1-24 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? ³ You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. ⁴ You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. ⁵ So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. ⁶ My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

⁷ “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, ⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

¹¹ “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. ¹² As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. ¹³ I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. ¹⁴ I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁶ I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

¹⁷ “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. ¹⁸ Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

²⁰ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, ²² I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. ²³ I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.”

Whose word came to Ezekiel (verse 1)?

Who was Ezekiel to prophesy to (verse 2)?

Who are the shepherds of Israel caring for, and who are they not caring for (verses 2, 3 and 4)

What happened to the sheep (verses 5 and 6)?

Why is the Lord against the shepherds (verses 7 and 8)?

In your opinion, why does the Sovereign Lord say that He will “rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them” (verse 10)?

Who will look and care for the sheep (verses 11-16)?

How will the flock be shepherded (verse 16)?

In your opinion, why will the flock be judged (verses 17-22)?

In your opinion, why would the Lord tell Ezekiel that David will be placed over them when King David has been dead for more the 400 years (verses 23 and 24)?

In your opinion, how is the flock described in Ezekiel 34 similar to the people that Jesus was helping and seeing in Matthew 9:18-38?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Ezekiel show us about the Great Commission?

2 Timothy 2:15-26 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ¹⁶ Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. ¹⁷ Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

²⁰ “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. ²¹ Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵ Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

What are we to “Do your best to present yourself to God as” (verse 15)?

What are we to avoid (verse 16)?

In your opinion, why would the teaching of one who indulges in godless chatter “spread like gangrene” (verses 16 and 17)?

How have Hymenaeus and Philetus departed from the truth (verses 17 and 18)?

How does “God’s solid foundation” stand (verse 19)?

What are the differences in usage among the articles in a large house (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what will “Those who cleanse themselves from the latter” be cleansing themselves from (verses 20 and 21)?

What will “those who cleanse themselves” and are made into “instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master” be prepared for (verse 21)?

What should we flee (verse 22)?

What should we pursue “along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (verse 22)?

In your opinion, how do “foolish and stupid arguments” produce quarrels (verse 23)?

How should the Lord’s servant be (verse 24)?

What is hoped to gain from gently instructing an opponent (verse 25 and 26)?

In your opinion, how does this teaching of Paul to Timothy help us understand the behaviors we should avoid and pursue in the flock that is God’s flock as described in Ezekiel 34?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s teaching about gently instructing opponents help us to understand the harvest that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 9:18-38?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 2 Timothy show us about the Great Commission?    

Revelation 14:13-20 – New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

¹⁴ I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. ²⁰ They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

Who will be blessed “from now on” (verse 13)?

Why will the “rest from their labor” (verse 13)?

What was in the hand of the one on the white cloud “like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head” (verse 14)?

What did the angel call out from the one “like a son of man” on the white cloud to do (verse 15)?

How did the one “like a son of man” respond (verse 16)?

In your opinion, who is the one “like a son of man”?

What does the angel who comes out of the temple in heaven have (verse 17)?

What is this angel to do (verse 18)?

What is done with the grapes harvested by this angel with a sharp sickle (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what do these clusters of grapes represent (verses 18 and 19)?

In your opinion, how does this teaching about the harvest by the “one like a son of man” and by the angel with the sharp sickle teach us about Paul’s instruction in 2 Timothy about being an approved worker?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Revelation help us to understand about Ezekiel 34 and its teaching about the flock?

In your opinion, what does this Revelation teaching about the harvests help us understand about Jesus command to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers Matthew 9:18-38?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Revelation show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 10:1 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

May 4, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Fasting to New Self

May 4, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Fasting to New Self

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.”

Fasting to New Self

Matthew 9:14-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ “Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

¹⁶ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷ Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Who came to Jesus (verse 14)?

What were they comparing (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why would Jesus seem to equate fasting with mourning (verse 15)?

When will the guests of the bridegroom mourn (verse 15)?

What happens if unshrunk cloth is sewn into an old garment (verse 16)?

What happens in you pour new wine into old wineskins (verse 17)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus tell John’s disciples about patching the old garment and storing new wine?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 9:14-17 show us about the Great Commission?

Isaiah 58:1-12 – New International Version (NIV)

¹“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
² For day after day they seek me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near them.
³ ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers.
⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high.
⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶ “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.
¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”

Who is to be shouted to with a voice like a trumpet (verse 1)?

What is to be shouted to them (verse 1)?

What do they seem eager to know (verse 2)?

What question is ask of God (verse 3)?

In your opinion, does the question they ask God make it seem like they viewed fasting as a way to get what they wanted from God (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why would the fasting end in quarreling and strife (verse 4)?

Who chooses a kind of fasting that is loosening chains, untying the cords of the yoke, setting the oppressed free, sharing food with the hungry and giving shelter to the wanderer, clothing the naked and not turning away from your own flesh and blood (verses 6 and 7)?

If fasting occurs in this way, what will go before the people of God (verse 8)?

If fasting occurs in this way, what will God say when the people of God cry for help (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what is meant by “your light will rise in the darkness” (verse 10)?

When will the Lord guide the people of God, if they fast appropriately, (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the blessing of being like “a well-watered garden” (verse 11)?

What will be rebuilt (verse 12)?

What will be raised up (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what does Isaiah’s discussion of fasting help us understand about Jesus’s response to the question about fasting in Matthew 9:14-17?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Isaiah show us about the Great Commission?

Colossians 3:1-16 – New International Version (NIV)

“¹Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Where, if we have been raised with Christ, should our hearts be (verse 1)?

Where is Christ seated (verse 1)?

What should our minds be set on (verse 2)?

Since we have died with Christ, where is our life now (verse 3)?

When Christ, “who is your life” appears, who will also appear with Him (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why should we put to death “whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (verse 5)?

What brings “the wrath of God” (verses 5 and 6)?

In your opinion, why does Paul say we “used to walk in these ways” (verse 7)?

What are we to rid ourselves of (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why is “do not lie to each other” separated out and included in a new sentence (verse 9)?

How is the “new self” that we have put on being renewed (verse 10)?

In your opinion, why does Paul say Christ “is all, and is in all” (verse 11)?

What are “God’s chosen people, holy and loved” to clothe themselves in (verse 12)?

How are we, as God’s chosen people, to act if we have a grievance (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why is love the virtue that should be put over all other virtues and which “binds them all together in perfect unity” (verse 14)?

What should rule in our hearts (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why would the short command “And be thankful” follow the instruction about peace (verse 15)?

What is to dwell among us (verse 16)?

How are we to “teach and admonish one anther” (verse 16)?

In whose name should we do all things (verse 17)?

To who should we give thanks through the Lord Jesus (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what does the new life and instructions of Colossians 3:1-17 help us understand Isaiah’s discussion about fasting in Isaiah 58?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s new life discussion help us understand the “new wine” that Jesus discussed in Matthew 9:14-17?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Colossians show us about the Great Commission?    

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹³ “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Who should “we ought always to thank God for” (verse 13)?

How were these that thanks should offered for saved (verse 13)?

What were these, called through the gospel, to share (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why does Paul indicate that the “brothers and sisters” are to stand firm and hold fast (verse 15)?

Who “loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope” (verse 16)?

In your opinion, why is the blessing that God “encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” given (verse 17)?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s instruction in 2 Thessalonians expand on his teaching in Colossians 3:1-17?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 2 Thessalonians help us to understand about Isaiah 58 and its teaching about fasting?

In your opinion, what does the 2 Thessalonians brief instruction to the “brothers and sisters” help us understand about Jesus response to the questions about the differences between the various disciples of Matthew 9:14-17?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 2 Thessalonians show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 9:18 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

            

April 27, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Sinners and Sorrow and Repentance

April 27, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Sinners and Sorrow and Repentance

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.”

Sinners and Sorrow and Repentance

Matthew 9:9-13 – New International Version (NIV)

“⁹ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Where was Matthew sitting when Jesus saw him (verse 9)?

What did Jesus say to Matthew (verse 9)?

How did Matthew respond to Jesus’s request (verse 9)?

Who came to the dinner at Matthew’s house (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what does it say about Jesus and his disciples that they would eat with tax collectors and sinners (verse 10)?

What was the Pharisees question to Jesus’s disciples when they saw the people at Matthew’s house for the meal (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean when He says “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what does this indicate that Jesus knew about why He was here (verse 12)?

What did Jesus ask the Pharisees to do (verse 13)?

Who did Jesus come to call (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why would Jesus not come to call the righteous (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 9:9-13 show us about the Great Commission?

Micah 6:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

“Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
    let the hills hear what you have to say.

² “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;
    listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case against his people;
    he is lodging a charge against Israel.

³ “My people, what have I done to you?
    How have I burdened you? Answer me.
⁴ I brought you up out of Egypt
    and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
    also Aaron and Miriam.
⁵ My people, remember
    what Balak king of Moab plotted
    and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

⁶ With what shall I come before the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.”

Who does Micah say is speaking (verse 1)?

To whom will the Lord’s case be plead (verse 1)?

In your opinion, why would the Lord’s accusation and the case He is lodging be stated to the mountains, the “everlasting foundations of the earth” (verse 2)?

What question does the Lord ask (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the Lord’s comments in verses 4 and 5?

In your opinion, what should the questions that Micah ask prompt us to ask today (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what point is Micah making in the questions in verse 7?

What has the Lord shown us, as mortals (verse 8)?

What does the Lord require of us (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what does Micah’s statements about offerings and what God requires help us understand about Jesus’s response to the Pharisees in Matthew 9:9-13?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Micah show us about the Great Commission?

2 Corinthians 7:8-12 – New International Version (NIV)

⁸ “Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— ⁹ yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹ See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. ¹² So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are.”

What does Paul not regret (verse 8)?

How long did Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians hurt them (verse 8)?

Why is Paul happy now (verse 9)?

In your opinion, how could the sorrow of the Corinthians led to their repentance (verse 9)?

What had God intended for the Corinthians (verse 9)?

What does Godly sorrow bring (verse 10)?

What does worldly sorrow bring (verse 10)?

In your opinion, how does Godly sorrow producing earnestness, eagerness to clear, indignation, alarm, longing, concern and readiness to see justice done prove innocence (verse 11)?

Why did Paul write the Corinthians (verse 12)?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion of Godly sorrow help us understand the instructions that Micah gave regarding the command to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

In your opinion, how does Paul’s instruction about Godly sorrow teach us about Jesus’s response to the tax collectors and with the Pharisees in Matthew 9:9-13?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 2 Corinthians 2:8-12 show us about the Great Commission?

2 Peter 3:3-13 – New International Version (NIV)

³ “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” ⁵ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. ⁶ By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. ⁷ By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”

When will the scoffers come (verse 3)?

What will the scoffers be following (verse 3)?

What will the scoffers say (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why did Peter say that the scoffers “deliberately forget” that “by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed” (verse 5)?

By what was the world deluged and destroyed (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why does Peter say that “by the same word” the heavens and the earth are reserved for fire (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why would the present heavens and earth be kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly (verse 7)?

What does Peter say not to forget (verse 8)?

Why does Peter say the Lord is not slow, but is patient instead (verse 9)?

How will the day of the Lord come (verse10)?

What will happen when the day of the Lord comes (verse 10)?

In your opinion, why does Peter say that as we “live holy and godly lives” that we should “look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (verses 11 and 12)?

What dwells in the new heaven and new earth that we are looking forward to (verse 13)?

In your opinion, how does it help us understand God’s patient waiting of 2 Peter 3:3-13 by thinking of the godly sorrow that leads to repentance that Paul discusses in 2 Corinthians 7:8-12?

In your opinion, what similarities do the scoffers of the last days that 2 Peter 3:3-13 discuss and the people that God is making a case to the mountains against in Micah 6:1-8?

In your opinion, how do we combine the fact that Jesus said in Matthew 9:9-13 that he was not calling the righteous but sinners, but Micah says that God wants us to walk humbly with Him, and 2 Peter instructs us to “live holy and godly lives”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 2 Peter show us about the Great Commission?

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