April 12, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Rejection and Grace

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Rejection and Grace

Matthew 21:33-46 – New International Version (NIV)

³³ “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. ³⁴ When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

³⁵ “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ³⁶ Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. ³⁷ Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸ “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ ³⁹ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

⁴⁰ “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹ “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

⁴³ “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. ⁴⁶ They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.”

What did the farmer, after planting the vineyard, putting a wall around it and a winepress in it, and a watchtower up, do (verse 33)?

When did the farmer send his servants to collect his fruit (verse 34)?

How did the tenants treat the servants (verse 35)?

What was different about the second group of servants that the farmer sent to collect his fruit (verse 36)?

Why did the farmer send his son after the second group of tenants was mistreated (verse 37)?

How did the tenants respond to the son (verses 38 and 39)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus ask the chief priests and the Pharisees “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants” (verse 40)?

How did the chief priests and the elders respond (verse 41)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean when He says “the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (verse 42)?

What does Jesus say has been taken away from the chief priests and the Pharisees (verse 43)?

Who will it be given to (verse 43)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that “anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on who it falls will be crushed” (verse 44)?

What did the chief priests and the Pharisees know about these parables (verse 45)?

How did the people view Jesus (verse 46)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 21:33-46 show us about the Great Commission?

Psalm 118:18-29 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ “The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵ Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷ The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.”

What has the Lord not allowed to happen to the writer (verse 18)?

What is the writer going to do when “the gates of righteousness are opened” (verse 19)?

Who can enter through “the gate of the Lord” (verse 20)?

What has the Lord become (verse 21)?

Who rejected that stone “that has become the cornerstone” (verse 22)?

Who has made the stone the builders rejected into the cornerstone (verse 23)?

How should we respond to what the Lord has done (verse 24)?

In your opinion, why is “he who comes in the name of the Lord” blessed (verse 26)?

What has the Lord done (verse 27)?

How is the Psalmist going to respond to “my God” (verse 28)?

Whose love “endures forever” (verse 29)?

In your opinion, how knowing that the Psalmist who is quoted by Jesus in the Matthew 21:33-46 in which He makes statements that attack the chief priests and Pharisees begins the Psalm 118:18-29 passage by saying that “the Lord has chastened me severely” and then ends the passage by saying that the Lord’s “love endures forever” enrich our understanding what Jesus was doing in Matthew?

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

Acts 13:38-52 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁸ “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers,
    wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
    that you would never believe,
    even if someone told you.’”

⁴² As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. ⁴³ When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵ When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
    that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

⁴⁹ The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. ⁵¹ So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

How is the forgiveness of sins proclaimed (verse 38)?

What happens to “everyone who believes” through Him (verse 39)?

In your opinion, why will the scoffers “look . . . wonder and perish” (verse 41)?

Who invited Paul and Barnabas to “speak further about these things on the next Sabbath” (verse 42)?

What did Paul and Barnabas urge the Jews and devout converts to Judaism who followed them to do (verse 43)?

Who gathered on the next Sabbath to “hear the word of the Lord” (verse 44)?

How did the Jews feel about this (verse 45)?

In your opinion, why did Paul and Barnabas have to “speak the word of God” to the Jews first (verse 46)?

What did the Jews rejection of the word of God mean they did not consider themselves worthy of (verse 46)?

Who commanded Paul and Barnabas to be a “light for the Gentiles” (verse 47)?

What did “all who were appointed for eternal life” do (verse 48)?

Where did the “word of the Lord” go (verse 49)?

Who did the Jewish leaders incite to stir up persecution and expel Paul and Barnabas from the region (verse 50)?

In your opinion, why in the midst of persecution, were the disciples filled with joy (verse 52)?

In your opinion, why do the builders reject the cornerstone in Psalms 118:18-29 and the scoffers “look . . . wonder and perish” in Acts 13:38-52?

In your opinion, how in the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 21:33-46 that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” find fulfillment in Acts 13:38-52 when Paul and Barnabas “shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them”?

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

Titus 2:11-15 – New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

¹⁵ These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.”

Who does the “grace of God” offer salvation to (verse 11)?

What are the positive things that we are to do after saying ““No” to ungodliness and worldly passions” (verse 12)?

Who do we wait for (verse 13)?

What did Jesus give Himself for (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why are the people who “are his very own” be “eager to do what is good” (verse 14)?

How is Titus to “encourage and rebuke” (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why does Acts 13:38-52 say that scoffers “look . . . wonder and perish” when Titus 2:11-15 makes it clear that the grace of God “offers salvation to all people”?

In your opinion, how is Jesus predicted in Psalm 118:18-29 when the psalmist says “I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation” and proven in Titus 2:11-15 when Paul says “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own”?

In your opinion, what can you know about the Kingdom of God when you combine the statement of Jesus in Matthew 21:33-46 that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” with the statement in Titus 2:11-15 that “Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good”?

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

Next, back to Matthew 22:1 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 5, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Repentance and Freedom

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Repentance and Freedom

Matthew 21:28-32 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

²⁹ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰ “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

³¹ “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

What did the man say to the first son (verse 28)?

How did the son answer (verse 29)?

What happened later (verse 29)?

How did the other son respond when the man ask him the same question (verse 30)?

What did the other son do (verse 30)?

Which of the two sons did what the father wanted (verse 31)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus tell the chief priests and the elders that “the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you” (verse 31)?

Who believed John about the “way of righteousness” (verse 32)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 21:28-32 show us about the Great Commission?

Jeremiah 31:27-34 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. ²⁸ Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. ²⁹ “In those days people will no longer say,

‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

³⁰ Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

³¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
³² It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
³⁴ No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.”

What will happen in the days to come (verse 27)?

In your opinion, why did the Lord say that “just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down” “so I will watch over them to build and to plant” (verse 28)?

Why are the children’s teeth on edge (verse 29)?

What will happen “instead” (verse 30)?

Who will the Lord make a “new covenant” with (verse 31)?

Why won’t it be like “the covenant I made with their ancestors” (verse 32)?

Where will the Lord put the law (verse 33)?

In your opinion, what is it like to have a relationship where “I will be their God, and they will be my people” (verse 33)?

Why won’t “they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord’” (verse 34)?

What will the Lord forgive (verse 34)?

When will the Lord “remember their sins” (verse 34)?

In your opinion, how does the Lord’s statement about the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:27-34 that “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” help in understanding the statement that Jesus made in Matthew 21:28-32 about the “way of righteousness” that John came to show and that the tax collectors and prostitutes believed?

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

Colossians 1:15-23 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

²¹ Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”

Who is “the image of the invisible God” (verse 15)?

What has “been created through him and for him” (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what is the connection between the “beginning and the firstborn from among the dead” and having supremacy in everything (verse 18)?

What is God pleased to “reconcile to himself” in Him (verse 20)?

Why were we alienated from God (verse 21)?

How is God “reconciled” to us (verse 22)?

In your opinion, why are we “holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (verse 22)?

What “has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven” (verse 23)?

In your opinion, how does the breaking of the covenant and then the forgiving from wickedness and the remembering sin no more of Jeremiah 31:27-34 foreshadow the statement from Paul that “once you were alienated from God . . . but now he has reconciled you” in Colossians 1:15-23?

In your opinion, how does the son saying that he would not go work in the vineyard and then changing his mind in Matthew 21:28-32 provide an example of being “enemies in your minds” and then not moving “from the hope held out in the gospel” in Colossians 1:15-23?

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

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.”

Who does John bless the seven churches with “grace and peace” from (verses 4 and 5)?

In your opinion, why is Jesus Christ described as being “the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” (verse 5)?

How has Jesus freed us from our sins (verse 5)?

What has Jesus made us into (verse 6)?

How is Jesus coming (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why will people “mourn because of him” (verse 7)?

How does God describe Himself (verse 8)?

In your opinion, how does the reconciliation that Paul talks about in Colossians 1:15-23 find a fulfillment in the “kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father” of Revelation 1:4-8?

In your opinion, how does the promise of Jeremiah 31:27-34 that “I will be their God, and they will be my people” fulfilled by the relationship of the “him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness” and the “kingdom and priests” of Revelation 1:4-8?

In your opinion, how does the discussion of Jesus about repentance and belief in Matthew 21:28-32 become complete when we have Jesus described as “the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” in Revelation 1:4-8?

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

Next, back to Matthew 21:33 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 29, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Authority and Mediation

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Authority and Mediation

Matthew 21:23-27 – New International Version (NIV)

²³ “Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Who came to Jesus as He was teaching in the temple courts (verse 23)?

In your opinion, why did they ask Jesus “By what authority are you doing these things” and “And who gave you this authority” (verse 23)?

How did Jesus respond to the questions (verse 24)?

What did Jesus ask about John’s baptism (verse 25)?

Why did they not want to say “from heaven” (verse 25)?

Why did they not want to say “of human origin” (verse 26)?

In your opinion, what can we learn about what was important to them from their discussion of how to answer Jesus (verses 25 and 26)?

How did they answer Jesus (verse 27)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus say “neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things” (verse 27)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 21:23-27 show us about the Great Commission?

Joshua 24:2-15 - New International Version (NIV)

² “Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. ³ But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, ⁴ and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.

⁵ “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. ⁶ When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. ⁷ But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

⁸ “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. ⁹ When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. ¹⁰ But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

¹¹ “‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. ¹² I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. ¹³ So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

¹⁴ “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

What did the ancestors, “including Terah the father of Abraham and Nabor” do “beyond the Euphrates River” (verse 2)

Who did God take from “the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan” (verse 3)?

How did God treat the Egyptians (verse 5)?

Who pursued the Israelites to the Red Sea (verse 6)?

What did the Lord do when “they cried” for help (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why did the Lord say “you saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians” (verse 7)?

How did the Israelites obtain victory over the Amorites (verse 8)?

Why did Balaam bless “you again and again” (verse 10)?

What did God do the “the citizen of Jericho . . . the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites” (verse 11)?

What drove out the “two Amorite kings” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why did God say “I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build” (verse 13)?

What were the Israelites to do with “the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt” (verse 14)?

Who were the Israelites to serve if “serving the Lord seems undesirable to you” (verse 15)?

What were Joshua and his household going to do (verse 15)?

In your opinion, how is the decision that Joshua was asking the people of Israel to make between “the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River” and the Lord in Joshua 24:2-15 similar to the question that Jesus wants “the chief priests and the elders of the people” to answer in Matthew 21:23-27?

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

Acts 4:1-22 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ² They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³ They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

⁵ The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
    which has become the cornerstone.’

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

¹³ When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ¹⁵ So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ¹⁶ “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸ Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! ²⁰ As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

²¹ After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. ²² For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.”

Who came up to Peter and John (verse 1)?

What were the apostles proclaiming (verse 2)?

Where did Peter and John spend the night (verse 3)?

What question were Peter and John ask (verse 7)?

What filled Peter (verse 8)?

How does “this man stands before you healed” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, how did “the stone the builders rejected” “become the cornerstone” (verse 11)?

Where else can salvation be found (verse 12)?

Why were they astonished (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why did they want to “stop this thing from spreading any further among the people” (verse 17)?

What command is given to Peter and John (verse 18)?

What question do Peter and John ask (verse 19)?

Why were Peter and John not punished (verse 21)?

In your opinion, how does the question of Joshua to the people of Israel to choose between the Lord and the “gods your ancestors worshiped” in Joshua 24:2-15 become even stronger in Acts 4:1-22 when Peter and John ask “the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law” “which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you or to him”?

In your opinion, what had changed from Matthew 21:23-27 when the chief priests and the elders were unwilling to answer the question that Jesus ask about John the Baptist’s authority to Acts 4:1-22 when they are publicly opposing the witness of Peter and John for Jesus?

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

1 Timothy 2:1-7 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. ⁷ And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.”

Who are “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving” to be made for (verse 1)?

Why are “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving” to be made for kings and all those in authority (verse 2)?

What does “God our Savior” want (verses 3 and 4)?

How many mediators are there between God and mankind (verse 5)?

Who did the mediator give “himself as a ransom” for (verse 6)?

Who was Paul “appointed a herald and an apostle” to (verse 7)?

In your opinion, how is the statement that “salvation is found in no one else” in Acts 4:1-22 expanded on in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 in the statement that “for there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people”?

In your opinion, how does the statement in Joshua 24:2-15 that outlines some of the things that God has done and then asks the people of Israel to throw out “the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living” foreshadow the statement of Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 that “there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people”?

In your opinion, how does the question that Jesus ask in Matthew 21:23-27 about John’s baptism, “was it from heaven, or of human origin” outline the decision that each of us needs to make about the truth of Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 that “there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people”?

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

Next, back to Matthew 21:28 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)