September 13, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Service and Love

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.”

Service and Love

Matthew 25:14-30 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

In your opinion, what will be like “a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them” (verse 14)?

How did the man decide how many bags to give to each servant (verse 15)?

What did the man with five bags and the man with two bags do (verses 16 and 17)?

What did the man who received one bag do (verse 18)?

When did the master of the servants return (verse 19)?

What did the man who received five bags of gold report (verse 20)?

In your opinion, why was the servant invited to “come and share your master’s happiness” (verse 21)?

What did the man who was entrusted with two bags report (verse 22)?

In your opinion, why was the response of the master the same, even though the amounts they gained were different (verse 23)?

How does the third man describe the master (verse 24)?

Why did the man hide the money in the ground (verse 25)?

How does the master describe this man (verse 26)?

In your opinion, why should the master have received back the money with interest (verse 27)?

Who was the one bag of gold given to (verse 28)?

In your opinion, why is it fair that “whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance” (verse 29)?

What is being taken from the one who “does not have” (verse 29)?

Where will the “worthless servant” be thrown (verse 30)?

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

Ezekiel 3:16-21 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ “At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁷ “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. ¹⁸ When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. ¹⁹ But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.

²⁰ “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. ²¹ But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”

When did the word of the Lord come to Ezekiel (verse 16)?

What was Ezekiel made into (verse 17)?

What was Ezekiel to do with the Word of the Lord (verse 17)?

In your opinion, why was Ezekiel to be accountable for the blood of the person he does not warn or speak out to dissuade (verse 18)?

What is the effect for Ezekiel if he warns a wicked person but they do not turn from their evil ways and die for their sins (verse 19)?

Who will the Lord put a “stumbling block” before (verse 20)?

Why will the person “die for their sin” (verse 20)?

What will not be remembered (verse 20)?

Who will be accountable (verse 20)?

In your opinion, why will Ezekiel “have saved” himself if he warns “the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin” (verse 21)?

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

In your opinion, how could the warning to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:16-21 be applied to the three men in Matthew 25:14-30 who received the bags of gold and to the rewards and punishment that they received?

Romans 12:3-8 - New International Version (NIV)

³ “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

With what does Paul tell his readers to think of themselves “in accordance with the faith God has distribute to each of you” (verse 3)?

Who has “one body with many members” (verse 4)?

In Christ who does “each member” belong to (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why do we have “different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (verse 6)?

What should we do if our gift is prophesying (verse 6)?

What should we do if our gift is serving (verse 7)?

What should we do if our gift is teaching (verse 7)?

If our gift is gift is giving then how should we give (verse 8)?

If our gift is leading then how should we lead (verse 8)?

If our gift is showing mercy then how should we show mercy (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what can we who have different gifts according to Paul in Romans 12:3-8 learn from Ezekiel, the watchman that the Lord appointed in Ezekiel 3:16-21, and the instructions that he received from the Lord?

In your opinion, should we who Paul says have different gifts in Romans 12:3-8 learn anything from the promise of Jesus in Matthew 25:14-30 that “whoever has will be given more” and the accompanying warning that “whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them”?

1 Peter 4:7-11 – New International Version (NIV)

⁷ “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

What is near (verse 7)?

Why should we “be alert and of sober mind” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why does love cover “over a multitude of sins” (verse 8)?

How should hospitality be offered to one another (verse 9)?

What should we use “whatever gift” we have received for (verse 10)?

How should the one who speaks speak (verse 11)?

How should the one who serves serve (verse 11)?

What should happen “in all things” (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, how do the statements of Paul in Romans 12:3-8 that we have different gifts have an additional impact when combined with the instruction of Peter in 1 Peter 4:7-11 that ends with “so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ”?

In your opinion, how is the stern statement of God to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:16-21 about being a watchman given a different emphasis when combined with the statement of Peter from 1 Peter 4:7-11 to “above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins”?

In your opinion, how does the parable of Jesus about the three servants and the bags of gold in Matthew 25:14-30 illustrate Peter’s instruction to “use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” in 1 Peter 4:7-11?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Ezekiel, Romans and 1 Peter show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 25:31 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

September 6, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Known and Saved by God

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.”

Known and Saved by God

Matthew 25:1-13 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

What will the kingdom of heaven be like (verse 1)?

How many virgins were there (verse 2)?

Why were the five virgins foolish (verse 3)?

Why did they all become drowsy and fall asleep (verse 5)?

When did the cry ring (verse 6)?

What did the foolish virgins ask of the wise virgins (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why did the wise virgins say “No, there may not be enough for both us and you” (verse 9)?

When did the bridegroom arrive (verse 10)?

Who went to the wedding banquet (verse 10)?

Why did the foolish virgins say “Lord, Lord, open the door for us” (verses 10 and 11)?

In your opinion, why was the response “truly I tell you, I don’t know you” (verse 12)?

Why is the instruction “therefore keep watch” (verse 13)?

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

Exodus 12:21-30 - New International Version (NIV)

²¹ “Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. ²² Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. ²³ When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.

²⁴ “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. ²⁵ When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. ²⁶ And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ ²⁷ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. ²⁸ The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.

²⁹ At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. ³⁰ Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.”

What did Moses tell the elders of Israel to do (verse 21)?

Where were the Israelites to place the blood with the hyssop (verse 21)?

When could they leave their houses (verse 22)?

In your opinion, why were the Israelites ask to do these things, when the Lord knew who they were (verses 21 and 22)?

What would happen when the Lord went through the land to “strike down the Egyptians” and saw the blood on the top and sides of the door frame (verse 23)?

Why were the instructions to be obeyed (verse 24)?

When were they to begin observing the ceremony (verse 25)?

How were the Israelites to answer their children’s question “what does this ceremony mean to you” (verses 26 and 27)?

What did the Israelites do (verse 28)?

When did the Lord strike down “all the firstborn in Egypt” (verse 29)?

Who got up during the night (verse 29)?

Why was there loud wailing in Egypt (verse 30)?

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

In your opinion, how can the preparations of the Israelites in Exodus 12:21-30 for the Passover show us how to “watch” for the coming of the Lord as Jesus instructed in Matthew 25:1-13?

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

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

¹¹ Here is a trustworthy saying:

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

¹⁴ Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ¹⁶ Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. ¹⁷ Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

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

What is not chained (verse 9)?

Why does Paul “endure everything” (verse 10)?

When will we live with Christ (verse 11)?

When will Christ disown us (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to say that “if we are faithless, he remains faithful” (verse 13)?

What is Timothy to warn God’s people about (verse 14)?

How is Timothy to do his best to present himself to God (verse 15)?

In your opinion, how does godless chatter cause those who indulge in it to become “more and more ungodly” (verse 16)?

What will spread “like gangrene” (verse 17)?

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

How does “God’s solid foundation” stand (verse 19)?

What is inscribed on “God’s solid foundation” (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, how does the blood on the top and sides of the door in Exodus 12:21-30 so that the destroyer does not enter the homes of the Israelites in Egypt foreshadow the statement of Paul in 2 Timothy 2:8-19 that “The Lord knows those who are his”?

In your opinion, what does Paul’s discussion in 2 Timothy 2:8-19 show us about the differences between the wise and foolish virgins of Matthew 25:1-13?

1 Peter 1:3-9 – New International Version (NIV)

³ “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

How does Peter describe God, who he praises (verse 3)?

What makes the new birth that God, in His great mercy has given us, possible (verse 3)?

Where is the inheritance that “can never perish, spoil or fade” kept for Christians (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why does the shielding by God’s power through faith end at the “coming of salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (verse 5)?

What do the Christians that Peter is writing to do in spite of having to “suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (verse 6)?

When will the “proven genuineness of your faith” result in “praise, glory and honor” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why does believing in Jesus Christ fill people with “an inexpressible and glorious joy” (verse 8)?

What is the “end result of your faith” (verse 9)?

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

In your opinion, how does the statement of Peter in 1 Peter 1:3-9 that our God and Father has “given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” help us to understand the statement of Paul in 2 Timothy 2:8-19 that “the Lord knows who is his”?

In your opinion, how does the passing over of the houses that had the lamb’s blood on the top and sides of the door frame by the destroyer in Exodus 12:21-30 foreshadow the new birth that is available because of the “resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” of 1 Peter 1:3-9?

In your opinion, how does Peter’s discussion in 1 Peter 1:3-9 about “new birth” “inheritance” “faith” and “receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” help us to understand what Jesus is trying to teach in Matthew 25:1-13 when He tells the parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Exodus, 2 Timothy and 1 Peter show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 25:14 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

August 30, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Wise and Wicked / Special and Common

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.”

Wise and Wicked / Special and Common

Matthew 24:45-51 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

What has the master put the wise servant in charge of (verse 45)?

When will it be “good for that servant” (verse 46)?

How will that servant be rewarded (verse 47)?

What does the wicked servant say to himself (verse 48)?

In your opinion, why would the wicked servant “beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards” (verse 49)?

When will the master come home (verse 50)?

How will the wicked servant be treated (verse 51)?

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

1 Kings 19:9-18 - New International Version (NIV)

⁹ “There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. ¹⁸ Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Where was Elijah when the “word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah”” (verse 9)?

How has Elijah been “for the Lord God Almighty” (verse 10)?

What have the Israelites done (verse 10)?

In your opinion, why does Elijah feel that he is “the only one left” (verse 10)?

Where is Elijah to go (verse 11)?

Was the Lord in the “great and powerful wind” (verse 11)?

Was the Lord in the earthquake (verse 11)?

Was the Lord in the fire (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that the Lord was in the “gentle whisper” and not the powerful wind, the earthquake or the fire (verse 12)?

How did Elijah respond to the gentle whisper (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why does the Lord ask the same question, and Elijah give the same response (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why did God instruct Elijah to anoint the three different people to the three different positions (verses 15, 16 and 17)?

How did God reassure Elijah that he was not “the only one left” (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, what does the statement of Elijah “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” in 1 Kings 19:9-18 show us about what the faithful servant of Matthew 24:45-51 (or faithful servants of today) might feel?

James 4:4-10 - New International Version (NIV)

⁴ “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? ⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

What does friendship with the world mean (verse 4)?

Who becomes an enemy of God (verse 4)?

How does God long for the spirit He has caused to dwell in us (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what does James want us to learn from the quote “God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble” (verse 6)?

How should we respond to God (verse 7)?

How should we respond to the devil (verse 7)?

What happens if we “come near to God” (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what does James mean when he says “wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (verse 8)?

What should laughter be changed to (verse 9)?

How will God treat us if we humble ourselves before Him (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, how does Elijah’s situation in 1 Kings 19:9-18 illustrate the enmity between God and the world that James wrote about in James 4:4-10?

In your opinion, how do the actions of the two servants that Jesus talked about in Matthew 24:45-51 provide an illustration for the James’s discussion proud and the humble in James 4:4-10?

2 Timothy 2:20-26 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. ²¹ Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵ Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

What kind of articles are there in a large house (verse 20)?

How are the purposes of the articles different (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says “those who cleanse themselves from the latter” (verse 21)?

What will those who “cleanse themselves from the latter” and are “instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master” be prepared to do (verse 21)?

How should we react to the “evil desires of youth” (verse 22)?

What should we pursue “along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (verse 22)?

Why shouldn’t we have anything to do with “foolish and stupid arguments” (verse 23)?

In your opinion, why should the “Lord’s servant” not be quarrelsome but “be kind to everyone” (verse 24)?

Why should opponents be “gently instructed” (verse 25)?

What does Paul tell Timothy that opponents need to “come to their senses and escape” from (verse 26)?

In your opinion, why does Paul tell Timothy that opponents have been taken “captive to do his will” (verse 26)?

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

In your opinion, how can both James and Paul be right when James says that “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” in James 4:4-10 while Paul in 2 Timothy 2:20-26 says that those who cleanse themselves from “common use” will be instruments of gold and silver used for special purposes?

In your opinion, what can the seven thousand in 1 Kings 19:9-18 that God had in reserve in Israel “whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him” show us about fleeing “the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” as Paul instructs Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:20-26?

In your opinion, what can the wise servant and the wicked servant that Jesus talks about in Matthew 24:45-51 help us to understand about the “articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use” of 2 Timothy 2:20-26?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, 1 Kings, James and 2 Timothy show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 25:1 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)