June 14, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – The Gold and the Sacred

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 Gold and the Sacred

Matthew 23:16-22 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? ¹⁸ You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. ²² And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.” 

What does Jesus call the teachers of the law and Pharisees (verse 16)?

In your opinion, why would the teachers of the law and the Pharisees say that it means nothing to swear by the temple but that swearing by the gold of the temple mean you are bound by the oath (verse 16)?

How does Jesus show them that they were wrong (verse 17)?

How does the next statement that Jesus speaks about the teachers of the law and the Pharisees resemble the first statement (verses 16 and 18)?

In your opinion, what is the difference in the basic understanding of what is valuable by Jesus and the teachers of the law and the Pharisees that is revealed in this passage?

What is someone swearing by if they swear by the alter (verse 20)?

What is someone swearing by if they swear by the temple (verse 21)?

What is someone swearing by if they swear by heaven (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 23:16-22 show us about the Great Commission?

1 Samuel 5:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. ² Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. ³ When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴ But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. ⁵ That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.

⁶ The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors. ⁷ When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.” ⁸ So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”

They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

⁹ But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors. ¹⁰ So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.

As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” ¹¹ So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. ¹² Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.”

Who captured the ark of God (verse 1)?

Where did they set the ark (verse 2)?

In your opinion, what did it mean that Dagon was face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord (verse 3)?

How was Dagon different the “following morning” (verse 4)?

Where will the priests of Dagon not step (verse 5)?

What did the Lord bring to the people of Ashdod and its vicinity (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why did the people of Ashdod say “the ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us” (verse 7)?

How did the rulers of the Philistines respond (verse 8)?

What happened to the people of Gath (verse 9)?

Where did the ark go next (verse 10)?

How did the people there respond (verse 11)?

What filled the city (verse 11)?

Where did the “outcry of the city” go (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what could the people of the Philistine cities of 1 Samuel 5:1-12 have taught the teachers of the law and Pharisees of Matthew 23:16-22?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 1 Samuel 5 show us about the Great Commission?

Romans 2:17-29 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ “Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; ¹⁸ if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; ¹⁹ if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹ you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴ As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

²⁵ Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. ²⁶ So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? ²⁷ The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

²⁸ A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ²⁹ No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.”

What are the components that Paul asks the readers about themselves:

In verse 17: If you call yourself - _______________, If you rely on - ______________, If you boast in - _____________________

In verse 18: If you know his - _______________, If you approve of what is superior because you are ___________________________________

In verse 19: If you are convinced you are - ______________________________, A ________________ for those who are in the dark

In verse 20: An ____________ of the foolish, An ______________ of little children

In your opinion, why does Paul indicate that the readers have all of the above “because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth” (verse 20)?

Who does Paul ask “do you not teach yourself” (verse 21)?

Who does Paul ask “do you commit adultery” (verse 22)?

Who does Paul ask “do you dishonor God by breaking the law” (verse 23)?

In your opinion, what is Paul saying when he says to the readers “As it is written: ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you’” (verse 24)?

When does circumcision have value (verse 25)?

How does it change someone who is circumcised if they break the law (verse 25)?

How will those who are not circumcised, but keep the law’s requirements, be regarded (verse 26)?

Who will condemn the one with the “written code and circumcision” but are lawbreakers (verse 27)?

What is not “merely outward and physical” (verse 28)?

What is circumcision (verse 29)?

In your opinion, what are the similarities between the Philistines of 1 Samuel 5:1-12 and the circumcised lawbreaking Jews of Romans 2:17-29?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that the Jews of Romans 2:17-29 got distracted from the “circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit” to the outward and physical circumcision and the teachers of the law and the Pharisees of Matthew 23:16-22 missed the importance of the scared because the saw the value of the gold or the gift?

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

Revelation 22:10-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ “Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. ¹¹ Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

¹² “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

¹⁴ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”

Why is John not supposed to “seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, why is the “one who does wrong” to continue to do wrong, the vile to continue to be vile, the one who does right to continue to do right, and the holy person to continue to be holy (verse 11)?

What is Jesus, who is coming soon, going to give to each person (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus three times with different words say that He is the “Beginning and the End” (verse 13)?

Who does Jesus bless and what do they have a right to (verse 14)?

Who are the “dogs” who stay outside (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the “blessed” in verse 14 and the “dogs” in verse 15?

What does the “Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star” send by the angel to the churches (verse 16)?

Who says “come” (verse 17)?

What is the “one who wishes” to take (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what can we learn about the “circumcision of the heart” that Paul talks about in Romans 2:17-29 from the teaching of Jesus through John in Revelation 22:10-17 about those who “wash their robes” and those who are thirsty coming and taking “the free gift of the water of life”?

In your opinion, what does the discussion about the Philistines and their willingness to recognize that the God of Israel was greater than Dagon, but unwillingness to worship the God of Israel in 1 Samuel 5:1-12 help us to understand the “dogs” who are outside when all who are thirsty can “take the free gift of the water of life” in Revelation 22:10-17?

In your opinion, how does the inability of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees to see the value of the sacred in Matthew 23:16-22 because they were distracted by the value of the gold or the gift help us to understand why “those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” in Revelation 22:10-17 might be unwilling to “wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city”?

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

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

June 7, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Converts and Covenants

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.”

Converts and Covenants

Matthew 23:15 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”

Who does Jesus say “woe” to (verse 15)?

How does He describe them (verse 15)?

Where are they willing to go to win a convert (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why do they make the convert into “twice as much a child of hell” as they are (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 23:15 show us about the Great Commission?

Genesis 17:3-14 - New International Version (NIV)

³ “Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, ⁴ “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. ⁵ No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. ⁷ I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁸ The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. ¹⁰ This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. ¹³ Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

What was Abram’s reaction to God (verse 3)?

What is God’s covenant with Abram (verse 4)?

Why did God change Abram’s name to Abraham (verse 5)?

Who will come from Abraham (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why did God establish His covenant with Abraham as an “everlasting covenant” (verse 7)?

How is the “whole land of Canaan” presented to Abraham (verse 8)?

When are Abraham and his descendants to keep the covenant (verse 9)?

What is the covenant (verse 10)?

When are the males to be circumcised (verse 12)?

Does it matter if the males are “born in your household” or if they are “bought with money from a foreigner” (verse 13)?

How will the uncircumcised male be treated (verse 14)?

In your opinion, should the “teachers of the law and Pharisees” to whom Jesus was speaking in Matthew 23:15 require every male they convert to be circumcised as required by the covenant with God revealed in Genesis 17:3-14?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Genesis 17 show us about the Great Commission?

Galatians 5:2-6 – New International Version (NIV)

² “Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

What does Paul tell the Galatians that being circumcised would do to the value of Christ to them (verse 2)?

How does a person’s relationship to the law change if they let themselves be circumcised (verse 3)?

Where do you fall away from if you try to be justified by the law and are therefore “alienated from Christ” (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why is it “through the Spirit” that we “eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why does “neither circumcision nor uncircumcision” have any value in Christ Jesus (verse 6)?

What is the only thing that counts (verse 6)?

In your opinion, how do we reconcile the command by God in Genesis 17:3-14 that to participate in the covenant every male must be circumcised with the adamant opposition to circumcision that Paul, who had been a Pharisee, has in Galatians 5:2-6?

In your opinion, what does the statement of Paul in Galatians 5:2-6 that “you who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” help explain why Jesus in Matthew 23:15 said to the teachers of the law and Pharisees that “You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Galatians 5 show us about the Great Commission?

Hebrews 12:18-29 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ “You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; ¹⁹ to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, ²⁰ because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” ²¹ The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

²² But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³ to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

²⁵ See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? ²⁶ At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” ²⁷ The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our “God is a consuming fire.”

What kind of mountain does Paul say that Jewish converts to Christianity have not come to (verse 18)?

In your opinion, why did people who heard the voice beg “that no further word be spoken to them” (verse 19)?

How was “even an animal” that “touches the mountain” to be treated (verse 20)?

Why did Moses say “I am trembling with fear” (verse 21)?

What have they come to (verse 22)?

How are the “thousands upon thousands of angels” described (verse 22)?

Where are the names of the members of “the church of the firstborn” written (verse 23)?

How is God described (verse 23)?

What has happened to “spirits of the righteous” (verse 23)?

How is Jesus described (verse 24)?

What kind of word does the sprinkled blood speak (verse 24)?

In your opinion, why do we need to “not refuse him who speaks” (verse 25)?

What is the new promise of the One whose “voice shook the earth” (verse 26)?

In your opinion, once the “created things” are removed what will the “what cannot be shaken” consist of (verse 27)?

What are we receiving that we should “be thankful” and “worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (verse 28)?

How is our God described (verse 29)?

In your opinion, how do we reconcile what Paul says in Galatians 5:2-6 about eagerly awaiting “by faith the righteousness for which we hope” with the quotes from Hebrews 12:18-29, where God says “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens”?

In your opinion, how does the covenant of God with Abraham in Genesis 17:3-14 prepare us for the new covenant that Jesus is mediator of in Hebrews 12:18-29?

In your opinion, how does the prophecy that “once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens” followed by the explanation that “the words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain” in Hebrews 12:18-29 help us to understand the “woe” that Jesus proclaimed to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees in Matthew 23:15?

In your opinion, how does the “convert” of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees in Matthew 23:15 compare “to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven” of Hebrews 12:18-29?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Hebrews 12 show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 23:16 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

May 31, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Doors and the Key of David

  

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.”

Doors and the Key of David

Matthew 23:13 – New International Version (NIV)

¹³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”

Who does Jesus say “woe” to (verse 13)?

How does He describe them (verse 13)?

Where do they shut the “door of the kingdom of heaven” (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why do you think that they do not enter the kingdom of heaven (verse 13)?

In your opinion, how do you think they keep “those who are trying to” enter the kingdom of heaven out (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 23:13 show us about the Great Commission?

Isaiah 22:20-25 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ “In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. ²¹ I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. ²² I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. ²³ I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat of honor for the house of his father. ²⁴ All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.

²⁵ “In that day,” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken.”

How is Eliakim son of Hilkiah described (verse 20)?

What will be handed to him (verse 21)?

Who will he be the father to (verse 21)?

What will be placed on his shoulder (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to say “what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (verse 22)?

What will he be driven like a peg into (verse 23)?

What will hang on him (verse 24)?

When will the “peg driven into the firm place” be sheared off and fall (verses 24 and 25)?

In your opinion, why are the teachers of the law and the Pharisees that Jesus is speaking to in Matthew 23:13 only able to “shut the door” but the holder of the “key to the house of David” from Isaiah 22:20-25 is prophesied the much greater promise that “what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Isaiah 22 show us about the Great Commission?

Acts 5:17-32 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ “Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. ¹⁸ They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. ¹⁹ But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ²⁰ “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”

²¹ At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. ²² But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, ²³ “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” ²⁴ On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.

²⁵ Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” ²⁶ At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

²⁷ The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! ³⁰ The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. ³¹ God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. ³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

What filled the high priest and all his associates (verse 17)?

Who was arrested and put into the public jail (verse 18)?

When did the angel of the Lord open the doors and bring them out (verse 19)?

Where did the angel tell them to stand and “tell the people about this new life” (verse 20)?

When did they enter the temple courts and begin to teach the people (verse 21)?

In your opinion, why did the high priest and his associates call the Sanhedrin together (verse 21)?

What did the officers find when they got to the jail (verse 23)?

How did the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests respond to the news (verse 24)?

Where were the “men you put in jail” (verse 25)?

Why did the captain and his officers not use force to bring the apostles (verse 26)?

Why were the apostles brought before the Sanhedrin (verse 27)?

In your opinion, what caused the high priest to think the apostles were “determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood” (verse 28)?

Who did Peter and the apostles say they must obey (verse 29)?

Who “raised Jesus from the dead” (verse 30)?

Why had God “exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior” (verse 31)?

Who are the “witnesses of these things” (verse 32)?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the high priest and all his associates who have the apostles arrested and put into jail in Acts 5:17-32 and Eliakim son of Hilkiah in Isaiah 22:20-25?

In your opinion, what does it mean that some of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees who Jesus said “shut the door of the kingdom of heaven” in Matthew 23:13 were probably part of the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:17-32 who Peter told “the God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Acts 5 show us about the Great Commission?

Revelation 3:7-13 – New International Version (NIV)

⁷ “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. ⁸ I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹ I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

¹¹ I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ¹² The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. ¹³ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Who is John instructed to write to (verse 7)?

How does Jesus describe Himself (verse 7)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that Jesus “holds the key of David” (verse 7)?

What has Jesus placed before the church in Philadelphia (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus link the fact that the church in Philadelphia had “little strength” with the fact that “you have kept my word and have not denied my name” (verse 8)?

What will “those who are of the synagogue of Satan” do (verse 9)?

Why will Jesus keep the church of Philadelphia from the “hour of trail that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth” (verse 10)?

When is Jesus coming (verse 11)?

How will the “one who is victorious” be rewarded (verse 12)?

Who will speak to the churches (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the comparison of the angel of the Lord opening the door to the jail and bringing out the apostles in Acts 5:17-22 and the promise to the church of Philadelphia that an open door that no one can shut has been placed before them in Revelation 3:7-13?

In your opinion, how does knowing that the “key of David” once held by the Eliakim son of Hilkiah in Isaiah 22:20-25 is now held by “him who is holy and true” in Revelation 3:7-13 bring perfection to the idea that “what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open”?

In your opinion, how are the limited actions of the “teachers of the law and Pharisees” in Matthew 23:13 in shutting the door to the kingdom of heaven and not letting people enter similar to those of the synagogue of Satan in Revelation 3:7-13 and how is the promise of “an open door that no one can shut” the perfect response by God in this situation?

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

Next, back to Matthew 23:14 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)