April 20, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – The Theme of Our Praise

The Theme of Our Praise

Psalm 22:22-31 - New International Version (NIV)

²² I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly I will praise you.
²³ You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
    Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴ For he has not despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.

²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
    before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—
    may your hearts live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
²⁸ for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.

²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
    all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.
³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!

Where was David going to declare God’s name (verse 22)?

Who is to “praise him” (verse 23)?

How has God responded to the afflicted ones “cry for help” (verse 24)?

What is the source of David’s praise “in the great assembly” (verse 25)?

Who will “praise” the Lord (verse 26)?

What will “all the ends of the earth” do (verse 27)?

Who does “dominion” belong to (verse 28)?

What will “all who go down to the dust” do (verse 29)?

Who will “be told about the Lord” (verse 30)?

What will be proclaimed (verse 31)?

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

In your opinion, how can we see the triumph of Jesus in this passage?

Matthew 28:1-15 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³ telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

When did “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” go to look at the tomb (verse 1)?

Why was there a “violent earthquake” (verse 2)?

How did the angel appear (verse 3)?

Who was afraid of the angel and “became like dead men” (verse 4)?

What did the angel know about the women (verse 5)?

Why was Jesus not there (verse 6)?

What were the women to “go quickly and tell his disciples” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why did the women have both “fear” and “joy” (verse 8)?

How did the women react to Jesus when He met them and said “Greetings!” (verse 9)?

What was going to happen in Galilee (verse 10)?

Who did some of the guards report “everything that had happened” to (verse 11)?

What did the priests and elders give the soldiers (verse 12)?

What were the soldiers to say (verse 13)?

Who would keep the soldiers out of trouble with the governor (verse 14)?

What did the soldiers do (verse 15)?

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

In your opinion, how can we see the triumph of Jesus in this passage?

In your opinion, how is Mary Magdalene and the other Mary clasping Jesus’s feet in Matthew 28:1-15 a fulfillment of David’s words in Psalm 22:22-31?

Hebrews 2:11-18 – New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. ¹² He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
    in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

¹³ And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

¹⁴ Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. ¹⁷ For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Who “are of the same family” (verse 11)?

What is Jesus going to sing “in the assembly” (verse 12)?

Who is “here” with Jesus (verse 13)?

How did Jesus “break the power of him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil” (verse 14)?

Who did Jesus “free” (verse 15)?

Who is it that Jesus “helps” (verse 16)?

Why did Jesus have “be made like them, fully human in every way” (verse 17)?

Why is Jesus “able to help those who are being tempted” (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, how can we see the triumph of Jesus in this passage?

In your opinion, how is the assurance of Psalm 22:20-31 that “he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help” fulfilled by Jesus in Hebrews 2:11-18?

In your opinion, how does Matthew 28:1-15 provide hope for those Hebrews 2:11-18 refers to as being “held in slavery by their fear of death”?

Revelation 1:10-20 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, ¹¹ which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

¹² I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴ The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

¹⁹ “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. ²⁰ The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Where was John “on the Lord’s Day” (verse 10)?

What was John supposed to “write on a scroll” (verse 11)?

What did John turn around to see (verse 12)?

Where was the one “like a son of man” (verse 13)?

What were “his eyes” like (verse 14)?

How was “his voice” described (verse 15)?

What was “his face” like (verse 16)?

How did John react to seeing Jesus (verse 17)?

What does Jesus “hold the keys of” (verse 18)?

What is John instructed to write (verse 19)?

What is the “mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands” (verse 20)?

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

In your opinion, how can we see the triumph of Jesus in this passage?

In your opinion, how is the Lord who is praised by David in Psalm 22:20-31 revealed in Revelation 1:10-20?

In your opinion, do you think we will be able to run to Jesus as He is revealed in Revelation 1:10-20 and clasp His feet the way Mary Magdalene and the other Mary did in Matthew 28:1-15?  Why or why not?

In your opinion, how do you feel knowing you are a brother or sister as proclaimed in Hebrews 2:11-18 of Jesus as He is described in Revelation 1:10-20?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Matthew, Hebrews, and Revelation teach us about the theme of our praise?

In your opinion, who should we “go and tell” today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 13, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Breaking the Seal

Breaking the Seal

Daniel 6:14-24 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

¹⁵ Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”

¹⁶ So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

¹⁷ A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. ¹⁸ Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

¹⁹ At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. ²⁰ When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

²¹ Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! ²² My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

²³ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

²⁴ At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Who “was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him” (verse 14)?

What did the “law of the Medes and Persians” say (verse 15)?

Who told Daniel, when he was thrown into the lions’ den “may your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you” (verse 16)?

How was the stone that was placed at the mouth of the den sealed (verse 17)?

What did the king do “at the first light of dawn” (verse 19)?

How did Daniel answer the king’s question, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions” (verses 20, 21, and 22)?

Why was “no wound” found on Daniel (verse 23)?

What happened to the “men who had falsely accused Daniel” (verse 24)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how humans unsuccessfully place limits on God?

Matthew 21:1-11 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

⁵ “Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

 

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

What were the two disciples to do (verses 1 and 2)?

How were they to respond if “anyone says anything to you” (verse 3)?

Why did this take place (verse 4)?

What did the disciples do (verses 6 and 7)?

Why did they place their cloaks “on them” (verse 7)?

Who “spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what does “Hosanna” mean (verse 9)?

What did the city ask (verse 10)?

How did the crowds answer the city’s question (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how humans unsuccessfully place limits on God?

In your opinion, how is Daniel being thrown into the lions’ den in Daniel 6:14-24 similar to Jesus entering Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11?

Matthew 27:57-66 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

⁶² The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵ “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

What had Joseph, the rich man from Arimathea, become (verse 57)?

Who did Joseph ask for Jesus’ body (verse 58)?

What did Joseph do with the body (verses 59 and 60)?

Who was sitting “opposite the tomb” (verse 61)?

Who went to Pilate on the day after Preparation Day (verse 62)?

What did they say that the “deceiver” had said (verse 63)?

What order did they ask for (verse 64)?

How did Pilate respond to their request (verse 65)?

What did they do (verse 66)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how humans unsuccessfully place limits on God?

In your opinion, how is the sealing of the stone over the mouth of the lions’ den in Daniel 6:14-24 like the sealing of the stone in front of Jesus’s tomb in Matthew 27:57-66?

In your opinion, how are the crowd welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11 and Joseph of Arimathea in Matthew 27:57-66 similar?

1 John 5:1-11 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. ² This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³ In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴ for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

⁶ This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ For there are three that testify: ⁸ the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. ⁹ We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. ¹⁰ Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. ¹¹ And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Who is “born of God” (verse 1)?

How do we know that we “love the children of God” (verse 2)?

What is “love for God” (verse 3)?

What is “the victory that has overcome the world” (verse 4)?

“Who is it that overcomes the world” (verse 5)?

Who is the truth that testifies to Jesus Christ (verse 6)?

What three testify in agreement (verses 7 and 8)?

Whose testimony is greater than human testimony (verse 9)?

Who makes God “out to be a liar” (verse 10)?

What is the testimony (verse 11)?

Who has life (verse 12)?

Who does not have life (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how humans unsuccessfully place limits on God?

In your opinion, how does Daniel in Daniel 6:14-24 provide an example of the statement in 1 John 5:1-11’s that “this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith”?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the way the “large crowd” in Matthew 21:1-11 perceived Jesus and the way that 1 John 5:1-11 describes Jesus?

In your opinion, how is Joseph of Arimathea in Matthew 27:57-66 an example of what 1 John 5:1-11 means when it talks about attaining a victory that “overcomes the world”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Daniel, Matthew, Matthew, and 1 John teach us about the choice for the world or for God?

In your opinion, how can we overcome the world today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 6, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Through the Curtain

Through the Curtain

Psalms 22:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
² My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.

³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
⁴ In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
⁵ To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
⁸ “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
    you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
¹⁰ From birth I was cast on you;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Who has forsaken David (or Jesus), the author of the Psalm (verse 1)?

When does David cry out (verse 2)?

How is God enthroned (verse 3)?

What happened when David’s ancestors trusted God (verse 4)?

What happened when David’s ancestors cried out” to God (verse 5)?

Who despises David (verse 6)?

How do people treat David (verse 7)?

Why did people think the Lord might deliver David (verse 8)?

Who did God make David trust in (verse 9)?

How long has God been David’s God (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between being forsaken by people and feeling forsaken by God?

Matthew 27:45-56 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁵ From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

When did darkness come “over all the land” (verse 45)?

What does “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” mean (verse 46)?

Who did “some of those standing there” think Jesus was calling (verse 47)?

What was offered to Jesus to drink (verse 48)?

Why did the people want to leave Jesus alone (verse 49)?

What happened after Jesus “cries out again” (verse 50)?

How was the curtain of the temple “torn in two” (verse 51)?

What broke open (verse 52)?

When did the “holy people” come out of the tombs (verse 53)?

Who exclaimed “Surely he was the Son of God!” (verse 54)?

Why had the women “followed Jesus from Galilee” (verse 55)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between being forsaken by people and feeling forsaken by God?

In your opinion, how does David’s pivoting from feeling forsaken to stating his trust in God in Psalm 22:1-10 anticipate Jesus saying He was forsaken, then giving up His spirit, but being recognized as “the Son of God” by the centurion in Matthew 27:45-56?

Acts 7:51-60 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ⁵² Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— ⁵³ you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Who do the stiff-necked people “always resist” (verse 51)?

What have they done to the “Righteous One” (verse 52)?

How was the law that they have not obeyed given (verse 53)?

How did the members of the Sanhedrin react (verse 54)?

Who filled Stephen (verse 55)?

What did Stephen say that he saw (verse 56)?

How did the Sanhedrin react to Stephen’s words (verse 57)?

What did they do to Stephen (verse 58)?

Who did Stephen ask to receive his spirit (verse 59)?

What did Stephen cry out (verse 60)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between being forsaken by people and feeling forsaken by God?

In your opinion, how does Stephen in Acts 7:51-60 reveal the salvation that comes by doing what those who mocked David in Psalm 22:1-10 said, ““He trusts in the Lord . . . let the Lord rescue him”?

In your opinion, how does Stephen in Acts 7:51-60 show us what it means to have the curtain torn in two from top to bottom in Matthew 24:45-56?

Hebrews 10:19-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Who does Paul say has “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (verse 19)?

Where has “a new and living way opened” (verse 20)?

What do we have (verse 21)?

What happened “to cleanse us from a guilty conscience” (verse 22)?

Why can we “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess” (verse 23)?

What should we consider (verse 24)?

What should we not give up (verse 25)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between being forsaken by people and feeling forsaken by God?

In your opinion, for all of us who sometimes feel like the forsaken worm that David described in Psalm 22:1-10 how does Hebrews 10:19-25 help us have “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place”?

In your opinion, what does Hebrews 10:19-25 reveal to us about the purpose of the agony and death of Jesus in Matthew 27:45-56?

In your opinion, how does Hebrews 10:19-25 help us understand why Stephen in Acts 7:51-60 could face death with such confidence and assurance instead of feeling forsaken?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Matthew, Acts, and Hebrews teach us about the “new living way opened for us through the curtain”?

In your opinion, how do we move from feeling forsaken by God to having “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)