September 21, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Patiently Waiting

Patiently Waiting

 Malachi 2:17-3:5 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ You have wearied the Lord with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?”

3 ¹“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

² But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, ⁴ and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

⁵ “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.

How was the Lord wearied (verse 17)?

What will the messenger do (verse 1)?

In your opinion, “who can endure the day of his coming” (verse 2)?

What will happen to the Levites (verse 3)?

What “will be acceptable to the Lord” (verse 4)?

Who will the Lord “be quick to testify against” (verse 5)?

Who says “do not fear me” (verse 5)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the Lord’s coming?

Matthew 11:7-19 - New International Version (NIV)

⁷ As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. ⁹ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵ Whoever has ears, let them hear.

¹⁶ “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

¹⁷ “‘We played the pipe for you,
    and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
    and you did not mourn.’

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

When did Jesus begin “to speak to the crowd about John” (verse 7)?

Where are those “who wear fine clothes” (verse 8)?

What did they “go out to see” (verse 9)?

What was written about John (verse 10)?

Who will be “greater than” John (verse 11)?

What has the kingdom of heaven been “subjected to” (verse 12)?

What did “the Prophets and the Law” do until John (verse 13)?

Who was John (verse 14)?

What does Jesus compare “this generation” to (verse 16)?

How did the generation react to the singing of the dirge (verse 17)?

What was said about John when he did not eat or drink (verse 18)?

What did they say about the Son of Man when He “came eating and drinking” verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the Lord’s coming?

In your opinion, what message is Jesus sending to those listening to him in Matthew 11:7-19 by using the quote from Malachi 3:1 (2:17-3:5)?

James 5:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. ² Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. ⁴ Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. ⁵ You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

⁷ Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹ Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Why should rich people “weep and wail” (verse 1)?

What happened to their wealth (verse 2)?

When did the rich hoard wealth (verse 3)?

What are “crying out” against the rich (verse 4)?

What have the rich done “in the day of slaughter” (verse 5)?

Who was “condemned and murdered” (verse 6)?

How long are the “brothers and sisters” to be patient (verse 7)?

What “is near” (verse 8)?

Where is the Judge (verse 9)?

Who is an example of “patience in the face of suffering” (verse 10)?

What is the Lord “full of” (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the Lord’s coming?

In your opinion, what does Malachi 2:17-3:5 help us understand about the coming of the Lord that James is encouraging “brothers and sisters” to patiently wait for in James 5:1-11?

In your opinion, how can the “brothers and sisters” who are ask to wait patiently in James 5:1-11 be greater than John the Baptist in Matthew 11:7-19?

Revelation 6:9-16 - New International Version (NIV)

⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. ¹⁰ They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” ¹¹ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

¹² I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, ¹³ and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. ¹⁴ The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. ¹⁶ They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

Whose souls does John see “under the alter” (verse 9)?

What did they call out (verse 10)?

How long were they “to wait” (verse 11)?

When did the “great earthquake” happen (verse 12)?

What fell “as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind” (verse 13)?

Where were “every mountain and island” removed from (verse 14)?

Who “hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains” (verse 15)?

What did the ones who hid want the “the mountains and the rocks” to do (verse 16)?

What “has come” (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the Lord’s coming?

In your opinion, how does Revelation 6:9-16 help us understand the answer to the question, “But who can endure the day of his coming” in Malachi 2:17-3:6?

In your opinion, how are the people of the generation that Jesus was talking to in Matthew 11:7-19 like the “the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free” in Revelation 6:9-16?

In your opinion, who in Revelation 6:9-16 are like the rich people who “weep and wail” in James 5:1-11?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Malachi, Matthew, James, and Revelation teach us about the Lord’s compassion and mercy?

In your opinion, what helps us wait patiently today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

September 14, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Delighting in Difficulties

Delighting in Difficulties 

Isaiah 35:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ The desert and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, ² it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.

³ Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees that give way;
⁴ say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”

⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer,
    and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams in the desert.
⁷ The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
    grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

⁸ And a highway will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹ No lion will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
¹⁰     and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

 

What will “the desert and the parched land” be (verse 1)?

Whose “glory” will they see (verse 2)?

How should the “knees that give way” be treated (verse 3)?

Who will come for “those with fearful hearts” (verse 4)?

What will happen to “the eyes of the blind” (verse 5)?

What will the “mute tongue” do (verse 6)?

Where will there be “bubbling springs” (verse 7)?

Who will not journey on “the Way of Holiness” (verse 8)?

Who “will walk there” (verse 9)?

What will overtake those “the Lord has rescued” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how difficulties and opportunities are connected for those who are redeemed?

Matthew 11:1-6 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

² When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³ to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

⁴ Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ⁶ Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

When did Jesus “go on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee” (verse 1)?

 

Where was John (verse 2)?

What did John send his disciples to ask Jesus (verse 3)?

What were John’s disciples to “report to John” (verse 4)?

Who receives “sight” (verse 5)?

What is “proclaimed to the poor” (verse 5)?

Who is blessed (verse 6)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how difficulties and opportunities are connected for those who are redeemed?

In your opinion, what does the context of the verses from Isaiah 35:1-10 that Jesus quoted to answer John the Baptist’s question from prison in Matthew 11:1-6 give a reassuring richness to the answer?

2 Corinthians 12:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. ² I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. ³ And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— ⁴ was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. ⁵ I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. ⁶ Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What is Paul going to “go on” and do (verse 1)?

Where was “the man in Christ” caught up to (verse 2)?

What did “this man” hear (verse 4)?

What will Paul boast about himself (verse 5)?

Why would Paul “not be a fool” if he boasted (verse 6)?

Why was Paul “given a thorn” in his flesh (verse 7)?

How many times did Paul plead “with the Lord to take it away” (verse 8)?

What did the Lord tell Paul (verse 9)?

Why was Paul going to “boast all the more gladly” about his weaknesses (verse 9)?

When is Paul “strong” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how difficulties and opportunities are connected for those who are redeemed?

In your opinion, how are the transformation of the desert in Isaiah 35:1-10 and Paul receiving Christ’s power in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 similar?

In your opinion, why would Jesus heal the ailments of those who came to Him in Matthew 11:1-6 but refuse to remove the thorn from Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10?

Hebrews 12:4-13 - New International Version (NIV)

⁴ In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

¹² Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ¹³ “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

What have the people Paul is writing to “not yet resisted to the point of” (verse 4)?

What does the “word of encouragement” say not to make light of (verse 5)?

Who does the Lord chasten (verse 6)?

How should hardship be endured (verse 7)?

Who are “not true sons and daughters” (verse 8)?

How did we feel about “human fathers who disciplined us” (verse 9)?

Why does God discipline us (verse 10)?

What does discipline produce (verse 11)?

What should we “strengthen” (verse 12)?

Why should we “make level paths for” our feet (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how difficulties and opportunities are connected for those who are redeemed?

In your opinion, how does the time of waiting for the redemption of the Lord for those who are in the desert in Isaiah 35:1-10 become something more through Paul’s discussion of Hebrews 12:3-13?

In your opinion, how does our view of the time John spent in prison while others were being healed in Matthew 11:1-6 transformed when we think of Paul’s encouragement in Hebrews 12:3-13?

In your opinion, how does God using Paul’s thorn to help him recognize the times he was strong in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 help us better understand Paul’s message about God’s discipline in Hebrews 12:3-13?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Isaiah, Matthew, 2 Corinthians, and Hebrews teach us about delighting in difficulties?

In your opinion, how can we move from stumbling to boasting today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)