April 9, 2017 – Genesis and John (Gospel and Revelation) – Interactions

Interactions

Genesis 31:1-13 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” ² And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.

³ Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

⁴ So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. ⁵ He said to them, “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. ⁶ You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength, ⁷ yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. ⁸ If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked young. ⁹ So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.

¹⁰ “In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. ¹¹ The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ¹² And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. ¹³ I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.’”

Who was saying “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father” (verse 1)?

What was “not what it had been” (verse 2)?

Where did the Lord tell Jacob to go (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why did Jacob ask for Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were (verse 4)?

Whose God has been with Jacob (verse 5)?

How does Jacob say he worked for Laban (verse 6)?

How has Laban cheated Jacob (verse 7)?

Who has taken away Laban’s livestock and given them to Jacob (verse 9)?

Where did Jacob see the streaked, speckled or spotted male goats (verse 10)?

Who spoke to Jacob (verse 11)?

What did Jacob say that God had seen (verse 12)?

What does God remind Jacob that he did at Bethel (verse 13)?

Where is Jacob to go (verse 13)?

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

John 5:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³ Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.  ⁵ One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” ⁹ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, ¹⁰ and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem (verse 1)?

Where is the pool called Bethesda (verse 2)?

Who was beside the pool (verse 3)?

How old was the invalid who was there (verse 5)?

What did Jesus ask the invalid (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why did the invalid answer with “sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred” instead of “yes” (verse 7)?

Does Jesus tell the man he will be cured (verse 8)?

What does Jesus tell the man to do (verse 8)?

When is the man cured (verse 9)?

What does the man do (verse 9)?

When did this healing happen (verse 9)?

Who tells the man “it is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what is similar about God telling Jacob to “go back to your native land” in Genesis 31:1-13 and Jesus telling the invalid to “pick up you mat and walk” in John 5:1-10?

Romans 12:9-18 - New International Version (NIV)

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

What must be sincere (verse 9)?

How should we respond to evil (verse 9)?

How should we respond to good (verse 9)?

Who should we “be devoted to” in love (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says to “keep your spiritual fervor” (verse 11)?

How should we hope (verse 12)?

How should we respond to affliction (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to be “faithful in prayer” (verse 12)?

Who should we share with (verse 13)?

What should we do for those who persecute us (verse 14)?

How should we act when we are with those who mourn (verse 15)?

Who should we “be willing to associate with” (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says “do not repay anyone evil for evil” (verse 17)?

When are we to “live at peace with everyone” (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, how would Paul who said to “rejoice with those who rejoice” in Romans 12:9-18 react to the Pharisees who criticize the invalid carrying has mat on the Sabbath in John 5:1-10?

In your opinion, how does the relationship of Jacob and Laban in Genesis 31:1-13 demonstrate what happens when you don’t follow Paul’s instruction in Romans 12:9-18 “do not repay anyone evil for evil”?

Revelation 11:15-19 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
    the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
    and he will reign for ever and ever.”

¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying:

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
    the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.
¹⁸ The nations were angry,
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

Who sounded his trumpet (verse 15)?

What has become the “kingdom of our Lord and or his Messiah” (verse 15)?

How did the twenty-four elders respond (verse 16)?

Why are they giving thanks to the Lord God Almighty (verse 17)?

Who were angry (verse 18)?

What will happen to the dead (verse 18)?

What will happen to the prophets and the people who revere God’s name (verse 18)?

Who will be destroyed (verse 18)?

What was opened (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, what do Paul’s instructions in Romans 12:9-18 show us about the people that are described in Revelation 11:15-19 as “your people who revere your name”?

In your opinion, how does the invalid’s response to Jesus question “do you want to get well” and his reaction to Jesus instruction to “get up” in John 5:1-10 help us to understand the difference between those who belong to the “kingdom of the world” and to the “kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah” in Revelation 11:15-19?

In your opinion, why does God who in Revelation 11:15-19 is identified as the one who has caused the “kingdom of the world” to become His kingdom identify Himself to Jacob in Genesis 31:1-13 as the “God of Bethel”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Genesis, John, Romans and Revelation help us understand about how God changed everything by breaking the cycle of responding to evil with evil by sending Christ as our Savior?

In your opinion, how do these passages guide our reaction to God and to each other?                                 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 2, 2017 – Genesis and John (Gospel and Revelation) – Misery to Praise

Misery to Praise

Genesis 29:31-35 – New International Version (NIV)

³¹ When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. ³² Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

³³ She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.

³⁴ Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.

³⁵ She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

What did the Lord see about Leah (verse 31)?

What did the Lord enable Leah to do (verse 31)?

Why did Leah name her son Reuben (verse 32)?

In your opinion, why did Leah think that Reuben would cause Jacob to love her (verse 32)?

Why did Leah name her second son Simeon (verse 33)?

Why did Leah name her third son Levi (verse 34)?

In your opinion, what is different about Leah’s attitude with the birth of her fourth son (verse 35)?

Why did Leah name her fourth son Judah (verse 35)?

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

John 7:25-32 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁵ At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? ²⁶ Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? ²⁷ But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

²⁸ Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, ²⁹ but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

³⁰ At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. ³¹ Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

Who began to ask “isn’t this the man they are trying to kill” (verse 25)?

What was Jesus doing (verse 26)?

Why did they think that Jesus could not be the Messiah (verse 27)?

What was Jesus doing when He cried out (verse 28)?

In your opinion, why did they try to seize Jesus after He cried out (verses 28, 29 and 30)?

Why could no one lay a hand on him (verse 30)?

Why did many in the crowd believe (verse 31)?

What did the Pharisees hear (verse 32)?

What did the Pharisees do (verse 32)?

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

In your opinion, how are Leah, Jacob’s unloved wife who by the time she had her fourth son was able to praise God in spite of her situation in Genesis 29:31-35, and the faith of those in those in the crowd who believed in spite of knowing where Jesus came from and opposition of the Pharisees in John 7:25-32 similar?

Ephesians 1:3-12 - New International Version (NIV)

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

¹¹ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

How had the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ blessed us in the heavenly realms (verse 3)?

When did He choose us to be “holy and blameless in his sight” (verse 4)?

What did He predestine us for (verse 5)?

What has He freely given us “in the One he loves” (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “have redemption through his blood” (verse 7)?

What has been lavished on us (verses 7 and 8)?

How has He “made known to us the mystery of his will” (verses 8 and 9)?

When will He “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (verse 10)?

Whose plan “works out everything in conformity” (verse 11)?

Who will be “for the praise of his glory” (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, how might the belief of those who recognized Jesus as the Messiah in John 7:25-32 lead to the praise Paul heaped on “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” in Ephesians 1:3-12?

In your opinion, how are Leah’s praise of God when she gave birth to Judah (an ancestor of Jesus) in Genesis 29:31-35 and the praise of Paul for adoption into the “sonship through Jesus Christ” in Ephesians 1:3-12 connected?

Revelation 5:11-14 – New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹² In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”

¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
    be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

¹⁴ The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

How many angels did John hear (verse 11)?

What did they say happened to the Lamb (verse 12)?

What is the Lamb worthy to receive (verse 12)?

Who cried out saying “to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever” (verse 13)?

What did the four living creatures say (verse 14)?

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

In your opinion, how does John showing every angel and every creature “in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them” praising God in Revelation 5:11-14 help us to understand what Paul meant when he said that God intends to “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” in Ephesians 1:3-12?

In your opinion, what is different between the people of John 7:25-32 who hear Jesus and see what He does and have opposing views about Him and everyone in Revelation 5:11-14 who see Jesus as the Lamb worthy of praise?

In your opinion, how does Leah’s attitude at the end of the Genesis 29:31-35 passage begin to help us understand the attitude of praise of “every creature” in Revelation 5:11-14?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Genesis, John, Ephesians and Revelation help us understand about the different ways that we can react to Jesus?

In your opinion, how do these passages guide our understanding of how to react to the circumstances of our lives?                                                                                                                                                                

 (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 26, 2017 – Genesis and John (Gospel and Revelation) – Invitations and Mercy

Invitations and Mercy

Genesis 28:10-22 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. ¹¹ When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. ¹² He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. ¹⁵ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

¹⁶ When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

¹⁸ Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹ He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹ so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God ²² and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

Where was Jacob going (verse 10)?

What did he put under his head when he laid down to sleep (verse 11)?

What did he dream (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why did the Lord identify Himself as the “God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac” (verse 13)?

What land did the Lord promise to give Jacob and his descendants (verse 13)?

Who will be blessed through Jacob and his offspring (verse 14)?

Where is the Lord going to bring Jacob (verse 15)?

What did Jacob think when he woke up (verse 16)?

In your opinion, why was Jacob afraid (verse 17)?

How did Jacob treat the stone he slept on (verse 18)?

What did Jacob call the place (verse 19)?

What vow did Jacob make (verses 20, 21 and 22)?

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

John 1:43-51 - New International Version (NIV)

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

⁴⁶ “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

⁵⁰ Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” ⁵¹ He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

Who did Jesus tell “follow me” (verse 43)?

Where were Philip, Andrew and Peter from (verse 44)?

What did Philip tell Nathanael (verse 45)?

How did Nathanael react to what Philip said (verse 46)?

In your opinion, why is Philip’s invitation to “come and see” a great response to Nathanael’s doubts (verse 46)?

How did Jesus describe Nathanael (verse 47)?

What did Nathanael want to know (verse 48)?

When did Jesus see Nathanael under the fig tree (verse 48)?

Now that Nathanael has met Jesus, what does he think about Him (verse 49)?

What does Jesus say that Nathanael will see (verse 50)?

Who will Nathanael see “the angels of God ascending and descending on” (verse 51)?

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

In your opinion, how are God’s message that He gave to Jacob in a vision from Genesis 28:10-22 and what Jesus tells Nathanael he will see in John 1:43-51 connected?

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

⁶ It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. ⁷ Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” ⁸ In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. ⁹ For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁰ Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. ¹¹ Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: ¹² not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

¹⁴ What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
    and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

¹⁶ It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel” (verse 6)?

Through which of Abraham’s children will his “offspring be reckoned” (verse 7)?

Who is reckoned as Abraham’s offspring (verse 8)?

What was the promise (verse 9)?

Whose children were “conceived at the same time” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, why is it important that God made the decision that the younger would be severed by the older before they had been born or done anything important (verses 11 and 12)?

Who was it written that God loved (verse 13)?

Who was it written that God hated (verse 13)?

Does that make God unjust (verse 14)?

Who will God have mercy on (verse 15)?

What does it depend on (verse 16)?

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

In your opinion, what does Nathanael’s reaction to Jesus in John 1:43-51 help us to understand about the “children of the promise” that Paul talks about in Romans 9:6-16?

In your opinion, how is the dream of the stairway to heaven with angels ascending and descending in Genesis 28:10-22 a gift of God’s mercy that Paul talks about in Romans 9:6-16?

Revelation 19:6-10 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!
    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.
⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean,
    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

⁹ Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

¹⁰ At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

What did the great multitude that John heard sound like (verse 6)?

Why did the great multitude shout “hallelujah” (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why does the wedding of the Lamb mean that the great multitude should “rejoice and be glad” (verse 7)?

What is the bride given to wear (verse 8)?

What does fine linen stand for (verse 8)?

Who is blessed (verse 9)?

Who is John supposed to worship (verse 10)?

Who bears testimony to Jesus (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion about God’s mercy in Romans 9:6-16 prepare us to understand those who have been blessed with an invitation to the “wedding supper of the Lamb” in Revelation 19:6-10?

In your opinion, how is work of the Spirit of prophecy bearing the testimony to Jesus as promised to John in Revelation 19:6-10 demonstrated by Philip’s invitation to Nathanael in John 1:43-51?

In your opinion, why or why is not the vision of John in Revelation 19:6-16 greater than the vision of Jacob in Genesis 28:10-22?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Genesis, John, Romans and Revelation help us understand about the blessing that all peoples on earth are to receive through Jacob and his offspring?

In your opinion, how do these passages help us understand how people like us can be recipients of an invitation to the “wedding supper of the Lamb”?                                                                                    

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)