April 26, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Taxes and Submission

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.”

Taxes and Submission

Matthew 22:15-22 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ “Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

²² When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.”

Who made plans to trap Jesus (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why did they partner with the Herodians in their attempt (verse 16)?

How did they begin their attempt (verse 16)?

In your opinion, why did they ask “is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not” (verse 17)?

What was their intent (verse 18)?

What coin did they bring Jesus (verse 19)?

What did Jesus ask them about the coin (verse 20)?

How did they reply (verse 21)?

In your opinion, why is Jesus answer the perfect answer to their question (verse 21)?

How did they respond to the answer (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 22:15-22 show us about the Great Commission?

Proverbs 3:1-6 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “My son, do not forget my teaching,
    but keep my commands in your heart,
² for they will prolong your life many years
    and bring you peace and prosperity.

³ Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name
    in the sight of God and man.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.^”

Where were the commands of Solomon the author of Proverbs to be kept (verse 1)?

What will they bring (verse 2)?

Where should “love and faithfulness” be bound (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why did Solomon indicate that living in “love and faithfulness” would enable you to “win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man” (verse 4)?

How should we “trust in the Lord” (verse 5)?

What should we not lean on (verse 5)?

Where should we submit to God (verse 6)?

In your opinion, how does Solomon saying to trust in the Lord with all our heart in Proverbs 3:1-6 foreshadow Jesus saying to the Pharisees and the Herodians in Matthew 22:15-22 to “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”?

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

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³ Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil.

²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”

Who are the “brothers and sisters” to acknowledge (verse 12)?

Why should we “hold them in the highest regard in love” (verse 13)?

How should we live with each other (verse 13)?

Who should we warn (verse 14)?

How should we relate to the disheartened (verse 14)?

What do we do for the weak (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why should we be patient with everyone (verse 14)?

What should we strive for (verse 15)?

When should we rejoice (verse 16)?

When should we pray (verse 17)?

When should we give thanks (verse 18)?

In your opinion, how do we “quench the Spirit” (verse19)?

What should we avoid with prophecies (verse 20)?

In your opinion, how do we test all prophecies so that we know which to hold on to and which to reject (verses 20, 21 and 22)?

What does the blessing ask for the “God of peace” to do for us “through and through” (verse 23)?

How is the “one who calls you” described (verse 24)?

In your opinion, how is the command to “in all your ways submit to him” in Proverbs 3:1-6 expanded by the command in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 to “rejoice always, pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances”?

In your opinion, is the command in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 to “do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil” a different way of expressing the command that Jesus gives in Matthew 22:15-22 to “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”?

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

1 Peter 2:11-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. ¹² Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. ¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”

How does Peter describe his Christian friends that he is writing to (verse 11)?

What do “sinful desires” wage war against (verse 11)?

What can we do to help pagans “glorify God on the day he visits us” (verse 12)?

Why should we submit to “every human authority” (verses 14 and 15)?

How do we “silence the ignorant talk of foolish people” (verse 16)?

What should our freedom not be (verse 16)?

Who should we “show proper respect” to (verse 17)?

Who should we “love” (verse 17)?

Who should we “fear” (verse 17)?

Who should we “honor” (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what is the connection between Paul’s blessing in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through” and Peter’s naming those he is writing to “foreigners and exiles” in 1 Peter 2:11-17?

In your opinion, how is Solomon’s discussion about “love and faithfulness” helping to “win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man” in Proverbs 3:1-6 similar to Peter’s statement that “by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people” in 1 Peter 2:11-17?

In your opinion, do you think that Jesus saying to “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” in Matthew 22:15-22 was part of Peter’s background that helped him to understand that Christians are the “foreigners and exiles” he was writing to in 1 Peter 2:11-17?

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

Next, back to Matthew 22:23 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 19, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Weddings and Wedding Clothes

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.”

Weddings and Wedding Clothes

Matthew 22:1-14 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ² “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

⁴ “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

⁵ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. ⁶ The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

⁸ “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹ So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

How did Jesus speak to them (verse 1)?

What is the kingdom of heaven like (verse 2)?

Who did the king send his servants to (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why did the king send more servants (verse 4)?

How did the people respond to the servants (verses 5 & 6)?

Why did the king send his army to destroy the murderers and burn their city (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why did those who the king had invited “not deserve to come” (verse 8)?

Who did the king instruct his servants to bring in (verse 9)?

Did the servants only bring in the good people that they found (verse 10)?

What did the king see when he came in to see the guests (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the significance of the “wedding clothes” (verses 11 and 12)?

What is the punishment for the man who was not wearing wedding clothes (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus say “for many are invited, but few are chosen” (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 22:1-14 show us about the Great Commission?

Zechariah 3:1-5 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. ² The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

³ Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. ⁴ The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”

⁵ Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.”

Where was Joshua, the high priest, standing (verse 1)?

Why was Satan standing at his right side (verse 1)?

What did the Lord say to Satan (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why did the Lord describe Joshua as a “burning stick snatched from the fire” (verse 2)?

How was Joshua dressed (verse 3)?

What did the angel say to Joshua after telling others to “take off his filthy clothes” (verse 4)?

What did Zechariah say (verse 5)?

Who stood by while they put a clean turban on Joshua’s head and clothed him (verse 5)?

In your opinion, how does the Lord not letting Satan accuse Joshua whom He snatched from the burning fire, removed sin from and clothed in clean clothing in Zechariah 3:1-5 similar to the king in Jesus parable bringing in “the bad as well as the good” and then requiring that everyone at the wedding feast be in the proper attire in Matthew 22:1-14?

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

Ephesians 4:20-24 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ “That, however, is not the way of life you learned ²¹ when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

What is Paul talking to the Ephesians about (verse 20)?

Who did the Ephesians hear about and were taught about (verse 21)?

Why is the old self to be put off (verse 22)?

Where are we to be made new (verse 23)?

Who is the new self created to be like (verse 24)?

In your opinion, how does the statement of Paul in Ephesians 4:20-24 about putting off the old self and putting on the new self a continuation of the statement in Zechariah 3:1-5 about Joshua’s sin being taken away and the clothing of Joshua in fine garments?

In your opinion, how does knowing that the new self in Ephesians 4:20-24 is “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” help understand why the king in Matthew 22:1-14 had the guest that was not in wedding clothes tied up and thrown outside “into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”?

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

Revelation 19:6-9 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!
    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.
⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean,
    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

⁹ Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

How does John describe what a great multitude sounds like (verse 6)?

Why does the great multitude say “hallelujah” (verse 6)?

Why should we “rejoice and be glad and give him glory” for (verse 7)?

What does the fine linen that was given to the bride to wear stand for (verse 8)?

Who is blessed (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what does in mean that Paul in Ephesians 4:20-24 says that we are to put on “the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” and that John says in Revelation 19:6-9 that the bride of the Lamb is given fine linen, which stands for “the righteous acts of God’s holy people”?

In your opinion, how is it a completion of the “snatching” of Joshua like a burning stick from a fire and refusing to let Satan accuse him in Zechariah 3:1-5 a wonderful example of the ways “our Lord God Almighty reigns” as claimed by John in Revelation 19:6-9?

In your opinion, do you think that Jesus was anticipating the wedding feast of Revelation 19:6-9 when he described the king in Matthew 22:1-1-14 gathering in “the bad as well as the good” and being dressed in the proper wedding clothes?

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

Next, back to Matthew 22:15 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 12, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Rejection and Grace

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.”

Rejection and Grace

Matthew 21:33-46 – New International Version (NIV)

³³ “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. ³⁴ When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

³⁵ “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ³⁶ Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. ³⁷ Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸ “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ ³⁹ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

⁴⁰ “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹ “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

⁴³ “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. ⁴⁶ They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.”

What did the farmer, after planting the vineyard, putting a wall around it and a winepress in it, and a watchtower up, do (verse 33)?

When did the farmer send his servants to collect his fruit (verse 34)?

How did the tenants treat the servants (verse 35)?

What was different about the second group of servants that the farmer sent to collect his fruit (verse 36)?

Why did the farmer send his son after the second group of tenants was mistreated (verse 37)?

How did the tenants respond to the son (verses 38 and 39)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus ask the chief priests and the Pharisees “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants” (verse 40)?

How did the chief priests and the elders respond (verse 41)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean when He says “the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (verse 42)?

What does Jesus say has been taken away from the chief priests and the Pharisees (verse 43)?

Who will it be given to (verse 43)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that “anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on who it falls will be crushed” (verse 44)?

What did the chief priests and the Pharisees know about these parables (verse 45)?

How did the people view Jesus (verse 46)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 21:33-46 show us about the Great Commission?

Psalm 118:18-29 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ “The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵ Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷ The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.”

What has the Lord not allowed to happen to the writer (verse 18)?

What is the writer going to do when “the gates of righteousness are opened” (verse 19)?

Who can enter through “the gate of the Lord” (verse 20)?

What has the Lord become (verse 21)?

Who rejected that stone “that has become the cornerstone” (verse 22)?

Who has made the stone the builders rejected into the cornerstone (verse 23)?

How should we respond to what the Lord has done (verse 24)?

In your opinion, why is “he who comes in the name of the Lord” blessed (verse 26)?

What has the Lord done (verse 27)?

How is the Psalmist going to respond to “my God” (verse 28)?

Whose love “endures forever” (verse 29)?

In your opinion, how knowing that the Psalmist who is quoted by Jesus in the Matthew 21:33-46 in which He makes statements that attack the chief priests and Pharisees begins the Psalm 118:18-29 passage by saying that “the Lord has chastened me severely” and then ends the passage by saying that the Lord’s “love endures forever” enrich our understanding what Jesus was doing in Matthew?

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

Acts 13:38-52 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁸ “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers,
    wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
    that you would never believe,
    even if someone told you.’”

⁴² As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. ⁴³ When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵ When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
    that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

⁴⁹ The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. ⁵¹ So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

How is the forgiveness of sins proclaimed (verse 38)?

What happens to “everyone who believes” through Him (verse 39)?

In your opinion, why will the scoffers “look . . . wonder and perish” (verse 41)?

Who invited Paul and Barnabas to “speak further about these things on the next Sabbath” (verse 42)?

What did Paul and Barnabas urge the Jews and devout converts to Judaism who followed them to do (verse 43)?

Who gathered on the next Sabbath to “hear the word of the Lord” (verse 44)?

How did the Jews feel about this (verse 45)?

In your opinion, why did Paul and Barnabas have to “speak the word of God” to the Jews first (verse 46)?

What did the Jews rejection of the word of God mean they did not consider themselves worthy of (verse 46)?

Who commanded Paul and Barnabas to be a “light for the Gentiles” (verse 47)?

What did “all who were appointed for eternal life” do (verse 48)?

Where did the “word of the Lord” go (verse 49)?

Who did the Jewish leaders incite to stir up persecution and expel Paul and Barnabas from the region (verse 50)?

In your opinion, why in the midst of persecution, were the disciples filled with joy (verse 52)?

In your opinion, why do the builders reject the cornerstone in Psalms 118:18-29 and the scoffers “look . . . wonder and perish” in Acts 13:38-52?

In your opinion, how in the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 21:33-46 that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” find fulfillment in Acts 13:38-52 when Paul and Barnabas “shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them”?

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

Titus 2:11-15 – New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

¹⁵ These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.”

Who does the “grace of God” offer salvation to (verse 11)?

What are the positive things that we are to do after saying ““No” to ungodliness and worldly passions” (verse 12)?

Who do we wait for (verse 13)?

What did Jesus give Himself for (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why are the people who “are his very own” be “eager to do what is good” (verse 14)?

How is Titus to “encourage and rebuke” (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why does Acts 13:38-52 say that scoffers “look . . . wonder and perish” when Titus 2:11-15 makes it clear that the grace of God “offers salvation to all people”?

In your opinion, how is Jesus predicted in Psalm 118:18-29 when the psalmist says “I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation” and proven in Titus 2:11-15 when Paul says “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own”?

In your opinion, what can you know about the Kingdom of God when you combine the statement of Jesus in Matthew 21:33-46 that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” with the statement in Titus 2:11-15 that “Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good”?

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

Next, back to Matthew 22:1 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)