January 9, 2022 - Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Gently Bold

Gently Bold

Daniel 3:13-18 - New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴ and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? ¹⁵ Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

What was Nebuchadnezzar’s emotional status (verse 13)?

Where were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego summoned to (verse 13)?

What did Nebuchadnezzar ask Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (verse 14)?

When will it be “very good” (verse 15)?

What will cause Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to be “thrown immediately into a blazing furnace” (verse 15)?

In your opinion, how would Nebuchadnezzar have answered the question “what god will be able to rescue you from my hand” (verse 15)?

What didn’t Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego feel they needed to do (verse 16)?

What did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego believe that the God they served was able to do (verse 17)?

What did they believe that God would do (verse 17)?

In your opinion, why would Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego tell Nebuchadnezzar that they would not serve his gods or worship the image of gold even if God does not deliver them (verse 18)?

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

Mark 14:66-72 - New International Version (NIV)

⁶⁶ While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.

“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.

⁶⁸ But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.

⁶⁹ When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” ⁷⁰ Again he denied it.

After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”

⁷¹ He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”

⁷² Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Where was Peter when the servant girl of the high priest came by (verse 66)?

What did she say after looking at him closely (verse 67)?

How did Peter respond (verse 68)?

Where did Peter go (verse 68)?

Who did the servant girl tell “This fellow is one of them’” (verse 69)?

How did Peter respond (verse 70)?

Why did those standing near think that Peter was “one of them” (verse 70)?

In your opinion, why would Peter have “began to call down curses” while he was telling them he did not know Jesus (verse 71)?

What did the rooster do (verse 72)?

What did Peter remember (verse 72)?

How did Peter react (verse 72)?

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

In your opinion, how were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego able to stand before the mighty king Nebuchadnezzar and tell him that they would not worship his gods or the image of gold in Daniel 3:13-18 but Peter is unable to tell a servant girl that he knows Jesus in Mark 14:66-72?    

Acts 5:12-16 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. ¹³ No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. ¹⁵ As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. ¹⁶ Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.

What did the apostles perform “among the people” (verse 12)?

Where did the believers “used to meet together” (verse 12)?

Who “dared join them” (verse 13)?

How were they regarded by the people (verse 13)?

How were people “added to their number” (verse 14)?

Why did people bring their sick and lay “them or beds and mats” (verse 15)?

Where did the crowds come from (verse 16)?

What happened to the “sick and those tormented by impure spirits” (verse 16)?

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

In your opinion, how is Peter being willing to meet with other believers in Solomon’s Colonnade in Acts 5:12-16 similar to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego standing before Nebuchadnezzar and telling him that they would not worship his gods or his image in Daniel 3:13-18?

In your opinion, what has transformed Peter from the person who would not admit to a servant girl that he knew Jesus in Mark 14:66-72 to meeting with other believers in Solomon’s Colonnade with such boldness that people were intimidated and would not join them in Acts 5:12-16?

1 John 2:20-25 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. ²¹ I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. ²² Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. ²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

²⁴ As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

What do the people that John is writing to have (verse 20)?

What do these people know (verse 20)?

Why is John writing these people (verse 21)?

“Who is the liar” (verse 22)?

What is the person who denies Jesus (verse 22)?

Who has the Father (verse 23)?

How will the recipients of the letter “remain in the Son and in the Father” (verse 24)?

In your opinion, why would John end his discussion with the mention of the promise of eternal life (verse 25)?

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

In your opinion, how are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego choosing the God who could save them, even if He didn’t, over worshipping the golden statue in Daniel 3:13-18 a solid example of the somewhat abstract discussion of denying Jesus Christ or acknowledging the Son in 1 John 2:20-25?

In your opinion, how is the denial of Peter in Mark 14:66-72 different from the denial that makes an antichrist in 1 John 2:20-25? 

In your opinion, how might the example of the believers in Acts 5:12-16 inspire those who today have the “anointing from the Holy One” of 1 John 2:20-25? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Daniel, Mark, Acts and 1 John reveal to us about the difference between Peter, when he denied knowing Jesus, and the gentle and firm boldness of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego along with the early believers? 

In your opinion, how can believers in the world today acknowledge the Son gently, firmly and with boldness?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

January 2, 2022 - Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Be Like Stephen

 Be Like Stephen

Exodus 6:2-8 - New International Version (NIV)

² God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them. ⁴ I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. ⁵ Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.

⁶ “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. ⁷ I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ⁸ And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”

What did God say to Moses (verse 2)?

By what name had God “appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob” (verse 3)?

By what name had God not made Himself “fully known to them” (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what is the difference between God’s title of God Almighty and His title as the Lord (verse 3)?

What covenant had God established with them (verse 4)?

What has God heard (verse 5)?

How will God redeem the Israelites from the Egyptians (verse 6)?

What will God do for the Israelites (verse 7)?

In your opinion, what does it mean when God says “I am the Lord your God” (verse 7)?

What is God giving to the Israelites (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why does God begin and end this statement with “I am the Lord” (verse 8)?

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

Mark 14:53-65 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵³ They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. ⁵⁴ Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

⁵⁵ The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. ⁵⁶ Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.

⁵⁷ Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: ⁵⁸ “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” ⁵⁹ Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰ Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” ⁶¹ But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

⁶² “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶³ The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. ⁶⁴ “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

They all condemned him as worthy of death. ⁶⁵ Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.

Who came together when they took Jesus to the high priest (verse 53)?

How did Peter follow Jesus (verse 54)?

What could the “chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin” not find (verse 55)?

Whose statements did not agree (verse 56)?

In your opinion, what was Jesus being accused of by those who said “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands’” (verses 57 and 58)?

Who said “are you not going to answer” (verse 60)?

How did Jesus respond (verse 61)?

Who said “are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One” (verse 61)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus answer with “I am” (verse 62)?

Where does Jesus say He will be seen (verse 62)?

What did the high priest do (verse 63)?

What did they do after the high priest said “you have heard the blasphemy” (verse 64)?

How did they treat Jesus (verse 65)?

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

In your opinion, how is Jesus’s calm and confident answer, “I am”, to the hostile chief priests and Sanhedrin in Mark 14:53-65 as majestic as the “I am” of God identifying Himself to Moses as “God Almighty” and “the Lord” in Exodus 6:2-8?    

Acts 9:8-15 – New International Version (NIV)

⁸ Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

¹¹ Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

¹² So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. ¹³ They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. ¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

¹⁵ All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

What was Stephen full of (verse 8)?

Where did Stephen perform “great wonders and signs” (verse 8)?

Who were the opposition “who began to argue with Stephen” (verse 9)?

How did their arguments with Stephen go (verse 10)?

What did they do in secret (verse 11)?

Where did they bring Stephen (verse 12)?

Who said “this fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law” (verse 13)?

What was Stephen accused of saying that Jesus of Nazareth would do (verse 14)?

What did the Sanhedrin see when they “looked intently at Stephen” (verse 15)?

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

In your opinion, who, of all the people who were gathered in Acts 6:8-15, should know “the Lord” who revealed himself to Moses in Exodus 6:2-8?  What do their actions prove about their relationship with “the Lord”?

In your opinion, how could Jesus in Mark 14:53-65 and Stephen in Acts 6:8-15 both have been calm in the frantic storm of lies and hatred that was taking place around them and leading both of them to death?

Revelation 1:4-8 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

⁷ “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

In your opinion, who is John writing this letter to (verse 4)?

Who sends “grace and peace” (verses 4 and 5)?

How is Jesus Christ described (verse 5)?

What has Jesus done for us (verse 5)?

What has Jesus made us (verse 6)?

How is Jesus coming (verse 7)?

Who will mourn (verse 7)?

Who says “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, how is the revelation of God to Moses that “I am the Lord” in Exodus 6:2-8 expanded by the revelation of “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” to John?

In your opinion, how does the calm and truthful “I am” of Jesus to the high priest’s question, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” in Mark 14:53-65 establish Him as the “faithful witness” to all of Revelation 1:4-8? 

In your opinion, how is Stephen in Acts 6:8-15 an example of those freed from sins being a “kingdom and priests” as Revelation 1:4-8 says? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Mark, Acts and Revelation reveal to us about the different aspects of the One who says “I am”? 

In your opinion, how can we, to whom God has been revealed by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Jesus and John become more like Stephen in a world of hostility and anger?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 26, 2021 - Mercy and Joy

Mercy and Joy

Hebrews 10:5-10 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
⁶ with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.’”

⁸ First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. ⁹ Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

When did Christ speak (verse 5)?

What did the Father not desire (verse 5)?

What was prepared for Jesus (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why did “burnt offerings and sin offerings” not please God (verse 6)?

Who said “here I am” (verse 7)?

What had Jesus come to do (verse 7)?

How were the “sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings” that God did not desire offered (verse 8)?

Who said “I have come to do your will” (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what is the “first” that is set aside (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what is the “second” that is being established (verse 9)?

How have we been made holy (verse 10)?

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

Micah 5:2-5a - New International Version (NIV)

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace

How is Bethlehem described (verse 2)?

Who is coming out of Bethlehem (verse 2)?

Where is the one coming out of Bethlehem from (verse 2)?

What two things will happen at the end of Israel’s abandonment (verse 3)?

How will the One who is coming “stand and shepherd his flock” (verse 4)?

Why will His flock “live securely” (verse 4)?

What will He be (verse 5)?

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

In your opinion, how is the prophecy of Jesus coming as a ruler and shepherd in Micah 5:2-5a expanded in the prophecy that Paul quotes from the Psalms in Hebrews 10:5-10?    

Luke 1:39-45 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

What had happened before Luke 1:39-45?

Where did Mary hurry to (verse 39)?

Who did Mary greet when “she entered Zechariah’s home” (verse 40)?

What happened when Mary’s greeting was heard (verse 41)?

Who was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (verse 41)?

In your opinion, why were Mary and her child blessed (verse 42)?

How was Elizabeth favored (verse 43)?

Who “leaped for joy” (verse 44)?

Who is blessed (verse 45)?

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

In your opinion, how does Luke 1:39-45 establish that the prophecy from Psalms quoted in Hebrews 10:5-10 was being fulfilled?

In your opinion, what does the prophecy in Micah 5:2-5a indicate will happen after the baby that Elizabeth blessed in Luke 1:39-45 is born?

Luke 1:46b-55 – New International Version (NIV)

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

What does Mary say “glorifies the Lord” (verse 46b)?

How does her spirit rejoice (verse 47)?

What has the Lord been mindful of (verse 48)?

Who has “done great things for me” (verse 49)?

What “extends to those who fear him” (verse 50)?

Who has been scattered (verse 51)?

Who has been lifted up (verse 52)?

How have the hungry been treated (verse 53)?

What has He remembered (verse 54)?

Who had these things been promised to (verse 55)?

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

In your opinion, how is the mercy that Mary mentions twice in her song in Luke 1:46b-55 important to understanding what Hebrews 10:5-10 says Jesus came to do as He did God’s will? 

In your opinion, what does Luke 1:46b-55 help us begin to understand about the flock that Micah 5:2-5a says the One born in Bethlehem will shepherd?

In your opinion, how does Luke 1:46b-55 help us understand the blessing that Elizabeth says will be Mary’s in Luke 1:39-45?  How is that blessing different from what you might expect for the mother of a king?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Hebrews, Micah and Luke help us understand about what Jesus came into the world to accomplish?

In your opinion, how is Mary an example of how we, who believe that the Lord fulfills promises, should respond after being “made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ”?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)