August 26, 2018 – Wisdom from Ecclesiastes and the Sermon on the Mount – A Time to Die and a Time to Live with Jesus

-            The

A Time to Die and a Time to Live with Jesus

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 - New International Version (NIV)        

¹ There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

⁹ What do workers gain from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

¹⁵ Whatever is has already been,
    and what will be has been before;
    and God will call the past to account.

¹⁶ And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
    in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

¹⁷ I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment
    both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
    a time to judge every deed.”

¹⁸ I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. ¹⁹ Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. ²⁰ All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. ²¹ Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

²² So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

What is there a season for (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what is the Teacher trying to say in the “a time for” verses (verses 2 through 8)?

What has the Teacher seen (verse 10)?

Where has God “set eternity” (verse 11)?

What did the Teacher say about people being happy and doing “good while they live” (verse 12)?

How does the Teacher define eating, drinking and finding satisfaction in toil (verse 13)?

How much can be added to or taken from what God does (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does the Teacher mean by “whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before” (verse 15)?

Where was wickedness (verse 16)?

For what will there be a “time to judge” (verse 17)?

How did the Teacher tell himself that God will test humans (verse 18)?

What advantage do humans have over animals (verse 19)?

Where do all return (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what does the Teacher mean by the question “who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth” (verse 21)?

The Teacher determine that there is “nothing better for a person than to” do what (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Matthew 7:21-23 - New International Version (NIV)

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Who will enter the kingdom of heaven (verse 21)?

What will many say (verse 22)?

How will Jesus respond (verse 23)?

In your opinion, what did Jesus mean when He said that He will say “I never knew you” (verse 23)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the Teacher’s view of the judgment of the “righteous and the wicked” in Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 and what Jesus conveys by His statement “I never knew you.  Away from me you evildoers.” in Matthew 7:21-23?

Romans 3:21-28 – New International Version (NIV)

²¹ But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵ God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

²⁷ Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. ²⁸ For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

What is apart from the “righteousness of God” that has been made known (verse 21)?

How is this righteousness given (verse 22)?

Who is this righteousness given to (verse 22)?

Who has “sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (verse 23)?

How are those who have sinned “justified” (verse 24)?

How is Christ who God presented “as a sacrifice of atonement” to be received (verse 25)?

In your opinion, how can God be “just” and also be “the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (verse 26)?

What law excludes boasting (verse 27)?

What does Paul “maintain” (verse 28)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how do you think Paul, who said in Romans 3:21-28 that “all have sinned”, might have been able to encourage the Teacher, who saw wickedness where there should have been justice in Ecclesiastes 3:1-22?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion of a righteousness that is received by faith in Romans 3:21-28 help us understand Jesus’s statement in Matthew 7:21-23 “I never knew you.  Away from me you evildoers.”?

2 Timothy 2:8-19 – New International Version (NIV)

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, ⁹ for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

¹¹ Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,
    we will also live with him;
¹² if we endure,
    we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
    he will also disown us;
¹³ if we are faithless,
    he remains faithful,
    for he cannot disown himself.

¹⁴ Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 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.”

Who does Paul want Timothy to remember (verse 8)?

What is not chained (verse 9)?

Why is Paul willing to “endure everything” (verse 10)?

What will happen if we “died with” Christ (verse 11)?

When will we reign with Christ (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to us that Jesus “remains faithful” even when we are “faithless” (verse 13)?

What is of no value (verse 14)?

What does it mean to be a worker who is approved (verse 15)?

Who will become “more and more ungodly” (verse 16)?

How did Hymenaeus and Philetus “destroy the faith of some” (verses 17 and 18)?

Who does the Lord know (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the Teacher’s statement in Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 that there is “a time to be born and a time to die” expanded on by the “trustworthy saying” of 2 Timothy 2:8-19 that says, “if we died with him, we will also live with him”?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion in 2 Timothy 2:8-19 help us avoid hearing Jesus say on judgment day, “I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!” as He warned in Matthew 7:21-23?

In your opinion, how is Paul’s explanation of the justification of the sinner in Romans 3:21-28 logically followed by his instruction in 2 Timothy 2:8-19 to “remember Jesus Christ” and that “everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Ecclesiastes, Matthew, Romans and 2 Timothy teach us about moving from enjoying (or not enjoying) our work to being an approved worker who Jesus knows?

In your opinion, how do we move from living and dying in the world to dying and living in Jesus?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

August 19, 2018 – Wisdom from Ecclesiastes and the Sermon on the Mount – Meaningless Toil or Abounding Love

Meaningless Toil or Abounding Love

Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 - New International Version (NIV)      

¹⁷ So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. ¹⁸ I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. ¹⁹ And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. ²⁰ So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. ²¹ For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. ²² What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? ²³ All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

²⁴ A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? ²⁶ To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Why did the Teacher hate life (verse 17)?

How did the Teacher feel about the things he “had toiled for under the sun” (verse 18)?

What was going to happen to the things the Teacher toiled for (verse 18)?

In your opinion, why does it matter to the Teacher if the person he leaves his things to is “wise or foolish” (verse 19)?

What did the Teacher’s heart begin to despair over (verse 20)?

Who must the person who labors “with wisdom, knowledge and skill” leave all they own to (verse 21)?

In your opinion, “whot do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor  under the sun” (verse 22)?

What does not rest at night (verse 23)?

What is from “the hand of God” (verse 24)?

In your opinion, without God “who can eat or find enjoyment” (verse 25)?

Who does God give “wisdom, knowledge and happiness” to (verse 26}?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Matthew 7:7-12 - New International Version (NIV)

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

What will happen if you ask for something (verse 7)?

What will happen if you seek something (verse 7)?

What will happen if you knock (verse 7)?

Who receives (verse 8)?

Who finds (verse 8)?

For whom is the door opened (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean when He asks “which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone” and “if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake” (verses 9 and 10)?

In your opinion, what point is Jesus making when He says “if you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him” (verse 11)?

What sums up “the Law and the Prophets” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the Teacher’s view in Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 about who God will give “wisdom, knowledge and happiness” to and Jesus’s statement in Matthew 7:7-12 about who “your Father in heaven” will give good gifts to?

Philippians 1:3-11 – New International Version (NIV)

³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

When does Paul thank God for the Philippian Christians (verse 3)?

How does Paul pray when he prays for the Philippian Christians (verse 4)?

How have the Philippin Christians been partners with Paul (verse 5)?

What is Paul confident of (verse 6)?

Why is it right for Paul to “feel this way” (verse 7)?

What can God testify to (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he prays “that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (verse 9)?

What will the Philippian Christians be able to discern if their love abounds “more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (verse 10)?

Where does the “fruit of righteousness” come from (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the Teacher’s statement that a person can do “nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil” in Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 different from Paul’s prayer “that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” in Philippians 1:3-11?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s prayer that “your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” in Philippians 1:3-11 begin to help us understand Jesus statement in Matthew 7:7-12 that “how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him”?

Philemon 1:4-7 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. ⁶ I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. ⁷ Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

What does Paul always do when he remembers Philemon in his prayers (verse 4)?

What does Paul hear about Philemon (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what is Paul asking for when he prays that Philemon will be deepened in “understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ” (verse 6)?

What has given Paul “great joy and encouragement” (verse 7)?

What has Philemon done (verse 7)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the view of the Teacher who “hated all the things I had toiled for” and found toil to be meaningless in Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 and Philemon’s giving “great joy and encouragement” to Paul and refreshing “the hearts of the Lord’s people” in Philemon 1:4-7?

In your opinion, how might Philemon giving “great joy and encouragement” to Paul in Philemon 1:4-7 help us to understand more about the gifts that Jesus says the Father will give to “to those who ask him” in Matthew 7:7-12?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the similarity of Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:3-11 that “your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” and his prayer in Philemon 1:4-7 “that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Ecclesiastes, Matthew, Philippians and Philemon teach us about how to discern what is a “stone” or a “snake” that we might ask God for and what is a good gift like “bread” or “fish” God would give us instead?

In your opinion, how can we move from a focus of toiling meaninglessly for ourselves to abounding in “love for all his holy people” and “faith in the Lord Jesus”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

August 12, 2018 – Wisdom from Ecclesiastes and the Sermon on the Mount – Seek First

Seek First

Ecclesiastes 2:12-16 - New International Version (NIV)      

¹² Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
    and also madness and folly.
What more can the king’s successor do
    than what has already been done?
¹³ I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
    just as light is better than darkness.
¹⁴ The wise have eyes in their heads,
    while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
    that the same fate overtakes them both.

¹⁵ Then I said to myself,

“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
    What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
    “This too is meaningless.”
¹⁶ For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
    the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!

What did the Teacher turn his thoughts to (verse 12)?

How is wisdom better than folly (verse 13)?

What is the same for the wise and the fool (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why did the Teacher ask “what then do I gain from being wise” (verse 15)?

Who will “not be long remembered” (verse 16)?

What will the fool and the wise both do (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Matthew 6:25-34 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

What does Jesus tell His listeners not to do (verse 25)?

What is “more than food” (verse 25)?

Who feeds the “birds of the air” (verse 26)?

In your opinion, what did Jesus intend to teach with the question, “can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your live” (verse 27)?

What was “Solomon in all his splendor” not dressed like (verses 28 and 29)?

What does Jesus say we should not do (verse 31)?

Who runs after food, drink and clothes (verses 31 and 32)?

What does Jesus tell us to “seek first” (verse 33)?

What does each day have enough of (verse 34)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the Teacher becoming aware that the wise will not be remembered long in Ecclesiastes 2:12-16 similar to the pagans worrying food, drink and clothing in Matthew 6:25-34?

Philippians 4:4-9 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

When does Paul say we should rejoice in the Lord (verse 4)?

What should be “evident to all” (verse 5)?

Who is near (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what does is mean to “not be anxious about anything” (verse 6)?

How should we present our requests to God (verse 6)?

What will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (verse 7)?

What should we think about (verse 8)?

Who will be with us if we put into practice what we have learned from Paul (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the Teacher’s focus on wisdom, madness and folly in Ecclesiastes 2:12-16 different from the focus that Paul recommends in Phillippians 4:4-9?

In your opinion, how does Paul in his instruction to “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” in Phillippians 4:4-9 help us understand how to implement Jesus command “do not worry” as given in Matthew 6:25-34?

1 Peter 3:8-12 – New International Version (NIV)

⁸ Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. ⁹ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. ¹⁰ For,

“Whoever would love life
    and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
    and their lips from deceitful speech.
¹¹ They must turn from evil and do good;
    they must seek peace and pursue it.
¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
    and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

What does Peter instruct us to do (verse 8)?

How are we to repay evil (verse 9)?

What must the person who “would love life and see good days” do (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “turn from evil and do good” (verse 11)?

Who are the Lord’s eyes on (verse 12)?

What are the Lord’s ears “attentive to” (verse 12)?

Who is the “face of the Lord” against (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is Peter in 1 Peter 3:8-12 different in his division of the people of the world that the Teacher, who divides the world into those who are wise and foolish in Ecclesiastes 2:12-16?

In your opinion, how does Peter in 1 Peter 3:8-12 echo the command of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34 to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness”?

In your opinion, how does Peter in 1 Peter 3:8-12 say in a much more direct way what Paul said in Phillippians 4:4-9 “let your gentleness be evident to all”?

In your opinion, how do these passages from Ecclesiastes, Matthew, Phillippians and 1 Peter teach us about how to love life?

In your opinion, how can we, living in sinful world, seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

August 5, 2018 – Wisdom from Ecclesiastes and the Sermon on the Mount – Living For Self or Bearing Fruit

Living For Self or Bearing Fruit

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)        

¹ I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. ² “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” ³ I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

⁴ I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

¹⁰ I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
    I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
    and this was the reward for all my toil.
¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
    and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
    nothing was gained under the sun.

What did the Teacher decide to test himself with (verse 1)?

What does the Teacher say “is madness” (verse 2)?

How did the Teacher try to cheer himself up (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what would motivate the Teacher undertake “great projects” (verses 4, 5, and 6)?

In your opinion, why would the Teacher gather all the possessions (verses 7 and 8)?

What did the Teacher become (verse 9)?

What did the Teacher deny himself (verse 10)?

In your opinion, how would the Teacher’s heart taking “delight in all my labor” be a reward for all his toil (verse 10)?

What did the Teacher think when he “surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achive” (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Matthew 5:27-30 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

What does Jesus say His listeners had heard (verse 27)?

What has the person “who looks at a woman lustfully” already done (verse 28)?

How should we react if our right eye causes us to stumble (verse 29)?

How should we react if our right hand causes us to stumble (verse 30)?

In your opinion, why is it better “to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (verse 30)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does Jesus in Matthew 5:27-30 help us understand about what the Teacher was doing when he “denied myself nothing my eyes desired” according to Ecclesiastes 2:1-11?

Galatians 5:13-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  ¹⁵ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

What does Paul instruct us that Christian freedom should be used for (verse 13)?

How is the entire law fulfilled (verse 14)?

When will we be destroyed by each other (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (verse 16)?

What is “contrary to the Spirit” (verse 17)?

When are we “not under the law” (verse 18)?

What is obvious (verse 19)?

Who will not “inherit the kingdom of God” (verse 21)?

What are “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (verses 22 and 23)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to  have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (verse 24)?

Why should we “keep in step with the Spirit” (verse 25)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how are the conclusion that the Teacher came to after rewarding himself with everything he desired in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 and Paul’s discussion in Galatians 5:16-25 about the desires of the flesh similar?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion about crucifying “the flesh with its passions and desires” in Galatians 5:16-25 help us understand Jesus’s statement in Matthew 5:27-30 “it is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell”?

Hebrews 12:1-3 – 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.

What surrounds Christians (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (verse 1)?

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

Where do we fix our eyes (verse 2)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he calls Jesus the “pioneer and perfecter of faith” (verse 2)?

Why did Jesus endure the cross (verse 2)?

Where did Jesus sit down (verse 2)?

Why should we consider Jesus, “who endured such opposition from sinners” (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the focus of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 different from the focus that Paul suggests in Hebrews 12:1-3?

In your opinion, what is similar between the focus on the woman that Jesus condemns in Matthew 5:27-30 and the focus on Jesus that Paul recommends in Hebrews 12:1-3?

In your opinion, what can we learn when we consider that in Galatians 5:13-25 Paul says that “the entire law is fulfilled by keeping this one command: “love your neighbor as yourself” and in Hebrews 12:1-3 he tells us to “run with perseverance”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Ecclesiastes, Matthew, Galatians and Hebrews teach us about the consequences of focusing on ourselves?

In your opinion, how can we, living in sinful flesh and in a sin filled world, bear the “fruit of the Spirit”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

July 22, 2018 – Wisdom from Ecclesiastes and the Sermon on the Mount – Under the Sun or In the Light

Under the Sun or In the Light

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 - New International Version (NIV)      

¹² I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! ¹⁴ I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

¹⁵ What is crooked cannot be straightened;
    what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” ¹⁷ Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

¹⁸ For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
    the more knowledge, the more grief.

What was the Teacher (verse 12)?

How did the Teacher study and explore “by wisdom all that is done under the heavens” (verse 13)?

What has the Teacher seen (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does the Teacher mean by “all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (verse 14)?

What can not be straightened (verse 15)?

Who is the Teacher wiser than (verse 16)?

What did the Teacher decide about the “understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly” (verse 17)?

What comes with “much wisdom” (verse 18)?

What comes with “more knowledge” (verse 18)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Matthew 7:15-20 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

How does Jesus describe false prophets (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he asks “do people pick grapes from thornbushes” (verse 16)?

What tree bears good fruit (verse 17)?

What tree cannot bear good fruit (verse 18)?

Where will trees that do not bear good fruit end up (verse 19)?

How will we recognize false prophets (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does what Jesus said about false prophets in Matthew 7:15-20 apply to what the Teacher says in Ecclesiastes 1:12-18?  Why do we need to consider all of Ecclesiastes before we apply what Jesus says?

Romans 6:19-23 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. ²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹ What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Why is Paul offering an example “from everyday life” (verse 19)?

How should we offer ourselves as “slaves to righteousness leading to holiness” (verse 19)?

When were we “free from the control of righteousness” (verse 20)?

In your opinion, how would you answer Paul’s question “what benefit did you reap at that time from the things that you are now ashamed of” (verse 21)?

When do we reap the benefit that “leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (verse 22)?

What are the “wages of sin” (verse 23)?

What is the “gift of God” (verse 23)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, why can Paul talk about people who used to be slaves to sin but are now slaves of God in Romans 6:19-23 when the Teacher said in Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 that “what is crooked cannot be straightened”?

In your opinion, what does Paul’s statement in Romans 6:19-23 that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” help us to understand about the good and bad trees that Jesus is talking about in Matthew 7:15-20?

Ephesians 5:8-20 – New International Version (NIV)

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. ¹⁴ This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
    rise from the dead,
    and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How does Paul describe the Ephesians that he was writing to (verse 8)?

What is the “fruit of the light” (verse 9)?

In your opinion, “what pleases the Lord” (verse 10)?

How should we treat “the fruitless deeds of darkness” (verse 11)?

What is shameful (verse 12)?

When do things become visible (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what does it mean for the sleeper to wake up and have Christ shine on them (verse 14)?

How should we not live (verse 15)?

How should we live (verse 15)?

Why should we make “the most of every opportunity” (verse 16)?

How do we avoid being foolish (verse 17)?

What should we be filled with (verse 18)?

How should we speak to each other (verse 19)?

When should we give thanks (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the wisdom that is “chasing after the wind” in Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 and and living as the wise as Paul instructs in Ephesians 5:8-20?

In your opinion, what does Paul in Ephesians 5:8-20 teach us about the good fruit from the good tree that Jesus tells us about in Matthew 7:15-20?

In your opinion, how does Paul in Ephesians 5:8-20 give us a better understanding of how we can receive the “gift of God” that is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord that is promised in Romans 6:19-23?

In your opinion, how do these passages from Ecclesiastes, Matthew, Romans and Ephesians help us to understand the difference between things that are “done under the sun” and things that are done as “children of the light”?

In your opinion, how can we avoid the wisdom that is meaningless and live in the light as the wise?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)