December 22, 2019 – Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Hard Hearts and New Attitudes

Hard Hearts and New Attitudes


Deuteronomy 30:11-20 - New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. ¹² It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹⁴ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

¹⁵ See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. ¹⁶ For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

¹⁷ But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, ¹⁸ I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

¹⁹ This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

What is not too difficult (verse 11)?

Why won’t they need to ask “who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it” (verse 12)?

Where is the word (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does Moses mean when he says “I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction” (verse 15)?

Who are the the Israelites to love and walk in obedience to (verse 16)?

What will happen if the Israelites are drawn to “bow down to other gods and worship them” (verses 17 and 18)?

Who did Moses call as witnesses (verse 19)?

In your opinion, how do the Israelites “choose life” (verse 19)?

Who is their life (verse 20)?

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

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

¹ Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Who was in the synagogue (verse 1)?

Why were some of the people in the synagogue watching Jesus closely (verse 2)?

What did Jesus ask the man to do (verse 3)?

In your opinion, “which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill” (verse 4)?

How did the people respond to Jesus question (verse 4)?

What distressed Jesus (verse 5)?

When was the man’s hand restored (verse 5)?

In your opinion, was there anything unusual about the Pharisees plotting with the Herodians (verse 6)?

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

In your opinion, how would a refusal by the Israelite people to love the Lord as commanded by Moses in Deuteronomy 30:11-20 be similar to the refusal of the people Jesus ask the question about the Sabbath to answer it in Mark 3:1-6?

Acts 2:36-41 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁶ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

What has God “made this Jesus, who you crucified” (verse 36)?

In your opinion, why were the people “cut to the heart” (verse 37)?

How did Peter answer the question “brothers, what shall we do” (verses 37 and 38)?

What gift will the people who follow Peter’s instruction receive (verse 38)?

Who is the promise for (verse 39)?

What did Peter plead for the people to do (verse 40)?

Who was baptized (verse 41)?

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

In your opinion, how does the command of Moses in Deuteronomy 30:11-20 to “love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess” similar to the plea of Peter to “save yourselves from this corrupt generation” in Acts 2:36-41?

In your opinion, how is the man who stretched out his hand and was healed by Jesus in Mark 3:1-6 similar to the 3,000 people who accepted the message of Peter and where baptized in Acts 2:36-41?

Ephesians 4:17-32 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. ¹⁹ Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

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.

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Who does Paul tell the Ephesian Christians they must no longer live like (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that the Gentiles are “darkened in their understanding” (verse 18)?

Why have the Gentiles “given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity” (verse 19)?

When did the Ephesian Christians learn about a different way of life (verses 20 and 21)?

How is the old self being corrupted (verse 22)?

Where were the Ephesian Christians to be “made new” (verse 23)?

What was the new self created to be like (verse 24)?

Why were the Ephesian Christians to “speak truthfully to your neighbor” (verse 25)?

What should they not give the devil (verse 27)?

Why must those who have been stealing work (verse 28)?

What is to come from the Ephesian Christians mouths (verse 29)?

Why were they sealed with the Holy Spirit (verse 30)?

How are they to forgive (verse 32)?

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

In your opinion, how would the result of the change that Paul is asking the Ephesian Christians to make in Ephesians 4:17-32 similar to the result of obedience to the command that Moses gave the Israelite people in Deuteronomy 30:11-20?

In your opinion, who, in Mark 3:1-6, is most like the Gentiles that Paul warns us to no longer live like in Ephesians 4:17-32?  What is the best demonstration of replacing the old self with the new?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that Paul describes the Gentiles in Ephesians 4:17-32 as being ignorant because of “hardening of the hearts” and Luke describes the people listening to Peter in Acts 2:36-41 as being “cut to the heart”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Deuteronomy, Mark, Acts and Ephesians teach us about why it is difficult to be sensitive to the Word of God even though He is very near to us?

In your opinion, what can we do today to follow Paul’s instruction to “be made new in the attitude of your minds”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 15, 2019 – Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Enter That Rest

Enter That Rest

Exodus 31:12-18 - New International Version (NIV)

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹³ “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

¹⁴ “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. ¹⁵ For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. ¹⁷ It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

¹⁸ When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

Who was talking to Moses (verse 12)?

What was observing the Lord’s Sabbaths to be (verse 13)?

In your opinion, how will the Sabbaths help the Israelites “know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy” (verse 13)?

What is to happen to the person who works on the Sabbath (verse 14)?

When is work to be done (verse 15)?

How long are the Israelites to observe the Sabbath (verse 16)?

What is the Sabbath to be between the Lord and the Israelites (verse 17)?

How were the “tablets of stone” inscribed (verse 18)?

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

Mark 2:23-28 - New International Version (NIV)

²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Where was Jesus going on the Sabbath (verse 23)?

What did His disciples began to do (verse 23)?

In your opinion, why did the Pharisees ask “look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath” (verse 24)?

Who was Jesus example in His answer (verse 25)?

What did David do (verse 26)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean by “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (verse 27)?

What is the Son of Man Lord of (verse 28)?

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

In your opinion, how does Jesus saying that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” in Mark 2:23-28 help us understand why the Lord was instructing Moses in the observation of the Sabbath in Exodus 31:12-18?

Acts 18:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ² There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, ³ and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. ⁴ Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. ⁶ But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

⁷ Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. ⁸ Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

Where did Paul go (verse 1)?

Why was Aquila in Corinth (verse 2)?

What did Paul, Aquila and Priscilla have in common (verse 3)?

What did Paul do on the Sabbath (verse 4)?

To whom did Paul testify in his preaching that “Jesus was the Messiah” (verse 5)?

How did Paul react when the Jews opposed him and became abusive (verse 6)?

Who was Titius Justus (verse 7)?

What did Crispus, the synagogue leader and his household believe (verse 8)?

What happened to the Corinthians “who heard Paul” and believed (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what do the conflicts in Acts 18:1-8 between Paul and the Jews in the synagogue reveal about their different views of the Sabbath and the Lord who gave them the Sabbath commandment in Exodus 31:12-18?

In your opinion, what does the Jews rejection of Paul in the synagogue in Acts 18:1-8 reveal about their acceptance of Jesus who proclaimed in Mark 2:23-28 that He was “Lord even of the Sabbath”?

Hebrews 4:1-13 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. ² For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. ³ Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” ⁵ And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

⁶ Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, ⁷ God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts.”

⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. ⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. ¹¹ Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

What still stands (verse 1)?

Why was “the message they heard” of no value to them (verse 2)?

Who enters “that rest” (verse 3)?

What did God speak about the seventh day (verse 4)?

In your opinion, who will “never enter my rest” (verse 5)?

Why did “those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them” not enter the rest (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “harden your hearts” (verse 7)?

What remains for “the people of God” (verse 9)?

How are people who enter God’s rest similar to God (verse 10)?

Why should we try to enter that rest (verse 11)?

What is “alive and active” (verse 12)?

What is “laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (verse 13)?

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

In your opinion, how is the Sabbath that the Israelite people are commanded to observe in Exodus 31:12-18 different from the Sabbath-rest that Paul is urging us to enter in Hebrews 4:1-13?

In your opinion, what has the One who said He was the “Lord even of the Sabbath” in Mark 2:23-28 done that Paul explains that Joshua had not done in Hebrews 4:1-13?

In your opinion, what does Hebrews 4:1-13 teach us about the difference between the abusive Jews who opposed Paul and Crispus, the synagogue leader and his family, who believed in the Lord in Acts 18:1-8?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Mark, Acts and Hebrews teach us about what it means to observe the Sabbath today?

In your opinion, how do we “make every effort to enter that rest”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 8, 2019 – Mark’s Good News about Jesus – New Witnesses

New Witnesses


Ezekiel 18:25-32 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁵ “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? ²⁶ If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. ²⁷ But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. ²⁸ Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die. ²⁹ Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

³⁰ “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. ³¹ Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? ³² For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

What do the Israelites say (verse 25)?

Who will die if they turn from their righteousness and commit a sin (verse 26)?

How will the wicked person save their life (verse 27)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them” (verse 28)?

What do the Israelites say (verse 29)?

How will the Lord judge the Israelites (verse 30)?

What are the Israelites to do after getting rid of all the offenses they have committed (verse 31)?

Who takes no pleasure in the death of anyone (verse 32)?

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

Mark 2:18-22 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. ²⁰ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

²¹ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. ²² And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Who was fasting (verse 18)?

What did “some people” ask Jesus (verse 19)?

In your opinion, why don’t the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them (verse 20)?

When do the guests of the bridegroom fast (verse 21)?

Why is a patch of unshrunk cloth not used to patch a garment (verse 22)?

Where is new wine poured (verse 23)?

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

In your opinion, how is Ezekiel’s command to “get a new heart and a new spirit” In Ezekiel 18:25-32 related to Jesus teaching about the old and new wineskins in Mark 2:18-22?

Acts 1:1-11 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

⁶ Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

What did Luke write to Theophilus in the former book (verse 1)?

When was Jesus taken into heaven (verse 2)?

How many days did Jesus appear to the disciples and give them convincing proofs that He was alive (verse 3)?

How long were the apostles to wait in Jerusalem (verse 4)?

What were the apostles to be baptized with (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why did the disciples ask “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel” (verse 6)?

What was not for the apostles to know (verse 7)?

What were the apostles to be (verse 8)?

What happened to Jesus (verse 9)?

Who appeared beside them (verse 10)?

How will Jesus come back (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, how is Jesus’s suffering that Luke writes about in Acts 1:1-11 proof of the Lord’s statement in Ezekiel 18:25-32 “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”

In your opinion, what does Luke’s summary in Acts 1:1-11 teach us about the “new wine” that Jesus was talking about in Mark 2:18-22? 

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

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

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

What are the hearts of the Christian to be set on (verse 1)?

What are the minds of Christians not be be set on (verse 2)?

Where is the life of the Christian hidden (verse 3)?

When will the Christian appear with Christ in glory (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why should a Christian put to death “whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed” (verse 5)?

What is coming because of these things (verse 6)?

When did Christians walk in these ways (verse 7)?

What should Christians do with “anger, rage, malice, lander, and filthy language” (verse 8)?

What have Christians “taken off” (verse 9)?

What have Christians “put on” (verse 10)?

Who is “all and is in all” (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, how are the discussion’s of Ezekiel about a new heart and a new spirit in Ezekiel 18:25-32 and Paul about the new self in Colossians 3:1-11 different?  How are they similar?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion of what Christians should set their hearts and minds on in Colossians 3:1-11 help us understand Jesus’s parable of the new wine and old wineskins?

In your opinion, how does the fact that Jesus told those who were with Him for years, heard His teaching, witnessed His miracles and were witnesses of the proofs that He was alive to wait in Jerusalem for “the gift my Father promised” in Acts 1:1-11 help us understand how the transformation from old self to new self that Paul teaches about in Colossians 3:1-11 takes place?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Ezekiel, Mark, Acts and Colossians teach us about the difference between a life without Jesus and a life with Jesus?

In your opinion, how are we witnesses to Jesus today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

The December 1, 2019 – Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Stiff-necked to Saved

Stiff-necked to Saved


Psalm 51:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

What does David ask God to have on him (verse 1)?

How does David ask God to treat his iniquity (verse 2)?

Where is David’s sin (verse 3)?

Who has David sinned against (verse 4)?

When did David become sinful (verse 5)?

Where was David taught wisdom by God (verse 6)?

How does David believe he will be “whiter than snow” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, what does David mean by “let the bones you have crushed rejoice” (verse 8)?

What does David ask God to do with his iniquity (verse 9)?

How does David believe he can have a “pure heart” (verse 10)?

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

Mark 2:13-17 - New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. ¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Where did Jesus go (verse 13)?

Why did Jesus begin to teach (verse 13)?

What did Jesus tell Levi the son of Alphaeus (verse 14)?

What did Levi do (verse 14)?

Who was eating dinner with Jesus at Levi’s house (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why did the “teachers of the law who were Pharisees” ask “why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners” (verse 16)?

How did Jesus answer the question (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, how would you contrast David’s view of sinfulness in Psalm 51:1-10 with that of the “teachers of the law who were Pharisees” from Mark 2:13-17?

Acts 7:51-60 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ⁵² Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— ⁵³ you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Who does Stephen say the members of the Sanhedrin always resisted (verse 51)?

In your opinion, who had the members of the Sanhedrin “betrayed and murdered” (verse 52)?

What had the members of the Sanhedrin not obeyed (verse 53)?

How did the members of the Sanhedrin react to the accusations of Stephen (verse 54)?

How was Stephen able to see Jesus (verse 55)?

Where did Stephen say Jesus was (verse 56)?

In your opinion, why did the members of the Sanhedrin cover their ears and yell at the top of their voices as they rushed Stephen (verse 57)?

Where did the witnesses lay their coats (verse 58)?

What did Stephen pray (verse 59)?

What did Stephen cry out (verse 60)?

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

In your opinion, how did the members of the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:51-60, who would have considered themselves to be children of David, reveal that they had different attitudes than David when he wrote Psalm 51:1-10?

In your opinion, how does the question asked by the teachers of the law who are Pharisees in Mark 2:13-17 prove them to be similar to the members of the Sanhedrin who stoned Stephen in Acts 7:51-60?

1 Timothy 1:12-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. ¹³ Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴ The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶ But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

What does Paul thank Christ Jesus for (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why does Paul call himself “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violet man” (verse 13)?

What was Paul shown (verse 13)?

How was the “grace of our Lord” poured out on Paul (verse 14)?

What did Christ Jesus come into the world to do (verse 15)?

Why was Paul shown mercy (verse 16)?

What does Paul pray for “the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God” (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, how are David, who wrote Psalm 51:1-10, and Paul, who wrote 1 Timothy 1:12-17, similar?  What does the fact that David prayed for mercy and Paul said he had received mercy reveal to us?

In your opinion, what does Paul’s statement that he was the worst of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:12-17 reveal about how he would have reacted to Jesus statement in Mark 2:13-17 that “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners”?  How should we react?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that Saul, who witnesses laid their coats at the feet of in Acts 7:51-60 as Stephen was stoned for saying he saw Jesus in heaven is the very same person who says in 1 Timothy 1:12-17 that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am thre worst”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Mark, Acts and 1 Timothy teach us about stiff-necked people and saved people today?

In your opinion, what should we who were once sinners but now are saved do today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)