May 25, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Sheep and Discipline

May 25, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Sheep and Discipline

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.”

Sheep and Discipline

Matthew 10:16-23 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. ¹⁸ On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰ for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

²¹ “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ²² You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ²³ When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

How did Jesus send the disciples our (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what did Jesus mean when he said “Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (verse 16)?

What was going to happen to the disciples (verse 17)?

Who are the disciples to witness to when they are “before governors and kings” (verse 18)?

What are the disciples not to worry about when they are arrested (verse 19)?

Who will be speaking when they are “before governors and kings” (verse 20)?

In your opinion, why will family members betray family members (verse 21)?

What will happen to the one who “stands firm to the end” (verse 22)?

What are the disciples to do when they are persecuted in one place (verse 23)?

When will the Son of Man come (verse 23)?

In your opinion, how do we understand the prophecy about when the Son of Man would come (verse 23)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 10:16-23 show us about the Great Commission?

Jeremiah 17:5-14 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵ “This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
⁶ That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
    they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
    in a salt land where no one lives.

⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things
    and beyond cure.
    Who can understand it?

¹⁰ “I the Lord search the heart
    and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
    according to what their deeds deserve.”

¹¹ Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
    are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
    and in the end they will prove to be fools.

¹² A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning,
    is the place of our sanctuary.
¹³ Lord, you are the hope of Israel;
    all who forsake you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust
    because they have forsaken the Lord,
    the spring of living water.

¹⁴ Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
    save me and I will be saved,
    for you are the one I praise.”

Who is cursed (verse 5)?

In your opinion, is there a connection between “trusts in man” and “whose heart turns away from the Lord” (verse 5)?

How will that person be cursed (verse 6)?

Who will be blessed (verse 7)?

What will they be like (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what is the significance of the statement “It does not fear when heat comes” (verse 8)?

What is deceitful “above all things” (verse 9)?

Where does the Lord get His understanding of people so He knows how to reward them (verse 10)?

What will people “who gain riches by unjust means” prove to be in the end (verse 11)?

In the midst of a world that sometimes seems to reward those “who gain riches by unjust means” where is our sanctuary (verse 12)?

Why will those who have forsaken the Lord “be written in the dust” (verse 13)?

What does Jeremiah affirm about the Lord’s healing and salvation (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does Jeremiah’s contrast of the results of trusting in man or in God help us to understand about being sent out “like sheep among wolves” that Jesus talks about in Matthew 10:16-23?

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

Romans 16:17-20 – New International Version (NIV)

^{17  “}I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. ¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

²⁰ The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

Who does Paul urge the Roman Christians (and us) to watch out for (verse 17)?

How are we to behave toward those we are to watch out for (verse 17)?

What are they serving (verse 18)?

What do they use to “deceive the minds of naïve people” (verse 18)?

In your opinion, after Paul commended the Roman Christians for their obedience, why did he want them “to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil” (verse 19)?

Who will the God of peace soon crush “under your feet” (verse 20)?

What blessing does Paul ask for the Roman Christians (and us) (verse 20)?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s teaching that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” from Romans 16:17-20 help us understand Jeremiah’s comment that those who trust in God will be “like a tree planted by the water” that “does not fear when the heat comes” of Jeremiah 17:5-14?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s teaching about avoiding those who cause division, and about being wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil help us to understand the teaching of Jesus that we should be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” from Matthew 10:16-23?

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

Hebrews 12:1-11 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

⁴ In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Who are we surrounded by (verse 1)?

What are we to throw off (verse 1)?

How are we to run “the race marked out for us” (verse 1)?

Who should our eyes be fixed on (verse 2)?

What is the “joy set before” Jesus that allowed Him to endure the cross and scorn its shame (verse 2)?

In your opinion, how does considering Jesus, “who endured such opposition from sinners” help us “not grow weary and lose heart” (verse 3)?

What is the Hebrews (and our) struggle against (verse 4)?

How are we not to respond when the Lord rebukes or disciplines us (verse 5)?

Who does the Lord discipline (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why does Paul equate “hardship” with “discipline” (verse 7)?

What does discipline prove about our legitimacy as Christians (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why does Paul add the words “and live” after saying that we should submit to God’s discipline “How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!” (verse 9)?

Why does God discipline us (verse 10)?

How does discipline feel (verse 11)?

What does training by discipline produce (verse 11)?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s teaching in Hebrews 12:1-11 about discipline help us understand his instruction in Romans 16:17-20 to avoid those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Hebrews help us to understand about Jeremiah 17:5-14 and specifically “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” or does Jeremiah help us understand Hebrews?

In your opinion, what does this Hebrews teaching about “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” help us to understand “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves” in Matthew 10:16-23?

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

Next, back to Matthew 10:24 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

May 18, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – The Kingdom of Heaven

May 18, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – The Kingdom of Heaven

  

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 Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 10:1-15 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶ Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

⁹ “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— ¹⁰ no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. ¹¹ Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. ¹² As you enter the home, give it your greeting. ¹³ If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”

What did Jesus give to the twelve disciples (verse 1)?

In your opinion, why would Jesus give Judas “who betrayed him” what he gave to the other eleven (verse 4)?

Where were the twelve to go (verses 5 and 6)?

What were they to proclaim (verse 7)?

What were they to do (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what did Jesus link when he said “Freely you have received; freely give” (verse 8)?

Why were the disciples instructed not to take gold or silver or copper or bag or extra shirt or sandals or staff (verses 9 and 10)?

Who were they to search for when they entered a town or village (verse 11)?

When they entered a home they were to give it a greeting, but what were they to do when they found it was deserving (verses 12 and 13)?

What were the disciples to do if the home was not deserving (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why were they to disciples to shake the dust of the feet when leaving a home or town that would not welcome or listen to them (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that “it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town”  (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 10:1-15 show us about the Great Commission?

Joel 1:13-20 – New International Version (NIV)

^13 “Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn;
    wail, you who minister before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
    you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings
    are withheld from the house of your God.
¹⁴ Declare a holy fast;
    call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
    and all who live in the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
    and cry out to the Lord.

¹⁵ Alas for that day!
    For the day of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

¹⁶ Has not the food been cut off
    before our very eyes—
joy and gladness
    from the house of our God?
¹⁷ The seeds are shriveled
    beneath the clods.
The storehouses are in ruins,
    the granaries have been broken down,
    for the grain has dried up.
¹⁸ How the cattle moan!
    The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;
    even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

¹⁹ To you, Lord, I call,
    for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness
    and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
²⁰ Even the wild animals pant for you;
    the streams of water have dried up
    and fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness.”

Who was supposed to put on sackcloth and mourn (verse 13)?

What were they supposed to do in the holy fast and sacred assembly with the elders and all who live in the land (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why say “Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near” (verse 15)?

What has been “cut off before our very eyes” from the house of God (verse 16)?

What has shriveled “beneath the clods” (verse 17)?

Why do “the cattle moan” (verse 18)?

Why will Joel call on the Lord (verse 19)?

Who will pant for the Lord (verse 20)?

In your opinion, how would knowledge of this statement from Joel that says “Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near” have caused the “lost sheep of Israel” to understand the disciple’s message that “the kingdom of heaven has come near” from Matthew 10:1-15?

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

Romans 13:8-14 – New International Version (NIV)

^8 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

What is supposed to be the only debt that remains outstanding (verse 8)?

How can the commandments “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not commit murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet” be summed up (verse 9)?

In your opinion, why does Paul say “love is the fulfillment of the law” (verse 10)?

Why has “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber” (verse 11)?

What is nearly over (verse 12)?

What is almost here (verse 12)?

What are we to put aside (verse 12)?

What are we to put on (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why would Paul say “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime” (verse 13)?

How are we to clothe ourselves (verse 14)?

What are we not to think about (verse 14)?

In your opinion, how does this teaching that “salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” contrast with the “Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near” of Joel 1:13-20 and what can we learn from this?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s teaching about “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” help us understand Jesus teaching “Freely you have received; freely give.” From Matthew 10:1-15?

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

   

1 Peter 4:1-11 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. ² As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. ³ For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. ⁴ They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. ⁵ But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Why are we to arm ourselves with the attitude of Christ (verse 1)?

What do pagans do (verse 3)?

How will pagans respond when Christians do not join in “their reckless, wild living” (verse 4)?

Who will pagans have to give an account to (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what is the link between “the gospel being preached to those who are now dead” and “live according to God in regard to the spirit” (verse 6)?

What is near (verse 7)?

What should we do “above all” (verse 8)?

How should we offer hospitality (verse 9)?

What should we use to serve others (verse 10)?

How should we speak (verse 11)?

How should we serve (verse 11)?

How should God be praised (verse 11)?

In your opinion, how does Peter’s practical instructions about living knowing that “The end of all things is near” help us to understand Paul saying in Romans 13:8-14 to “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” because “the day is almost here”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 1 Peter help us to understand about Joel 1:13-20 “day of the Lord”?

In your opinion, what does this 1 Peter teaching about the end of all things help us understand the disciples proclaiming “The kingdom of heaven has come near” in Matthew 10:1-15?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 1 Peter show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 10:16 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

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?

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