November 16, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Let Them Hear

Let Them Hear

Jeremiah 5:18-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy you completely. ¹⁹ And when the people ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.’

²⁰ “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
    and proclaim it in Judah:
²¹ Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
    who have eyes but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear:
²² Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
²³ But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
    they have turned aside and gone away.
²⁴ They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
²⁵ Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.

What will the Lord not  do “in those days” (verse 18)?

How is the question, “Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?” to be answered (verse 19)?

Where is the message to be proclaimed (verse 20)?

How are the people who “have eyes but do not see” described (verse 21)?

Who made the “sand a boundary for the sea” (verse 22)?

What have the people with “stubborn and rebellious hearts” done (verse 23)?

What do they “not say to themselves” (verse 24)?

What have their sins deprived them of (verse 25)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of hearing?

Matthew 13:10-17 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² 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. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

¹⁴ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵ For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

 

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

What did the disciples ask Jesus (verse 10)?

Who had been given the “knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven” (verse 11)?

From whom will “even what they have will be taken from them.” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean when He says, “though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (verse 13)?

Who prophesied “you will be ever hearing but never understanding” (verse 14)?

What do the people hardly do “with their ears” (verse 15)?

What would happen if the people turned (verse 15)?

Why are the disciples blessed (verse 16)?

Who “longed to hear what you hear but did not hear it” (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of hearing?

In your opinion, how does Jeremiah 5:18-25 help us understand the problem that causes Jesus to say that “though hearing, they do not hear or understand”?

2 Timothy 4:1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Who will “judge the living and the dead” (verse 1)?

What is the charge that Paul gives to Timothy (verses 1 and 2)?

What kind of teachers will people “gather around” themselves (verse 3)?

How will people respond to “the truth” (verse 4)?

What does Paul want Timothy to “keep” in all situations (verse 5)?

When is the “time for” Paul’s departure (verse 6)?

What has Paul finished (verse 7)?

Who will receive “the crown of righteousness” (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of hearing?

In your opinion, how could what Jeremiah is saying in Jeremiah 5:18-25 be a model for Timothy as he tries to apply Paul’s instructions given in 2 Timothy 4:1-8?

In your opinion, how are the people with calloused hearts in Matthew 13:10-17 like the people with itchy ears in 2 Timothy 4:1-8?

Revelation 3:14-22 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

²¹ To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Whose words are these (verse 14)?

What is known about the deeds of the Laodicean Church (verse 15)?

Why are they about to be spit “out of my mouth” (verse 16)?

In your opinion, how can they view themselves as rich while actually being “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (verse 17)?

What is the counsel (verse 18)?

How does God treat those whom He loves (verse 19)?

What will happen to those who hear Jesus’s voice and open the door (verse 20)?

Who will sit with Jesus on His throne (verse 21)?

What should those with ears hear (verse 22)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of hearing?

In your opinion, how are the people that Jeremiah is warning in Jeremiah 5:18-25 like the people that Jesus is warning through John in Revelation 3:14-22?

In your opinion, what does Revelation 3:14-22 help us understand about why some people in Matthew 13:10-17 have blessed eyes and ears?

In your opinion, how does 2 Timothy 4:1-8 help us understand how the people of the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22 could be lukewarm and about to be spit out?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Jeremiah, Matthew, 2 Timothy and Revelation help us understand about the blessings of hearing God?

In your opinion, how can we hear God more clearly today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

November 9, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Being Fruitful

Being Fruitful

Genesis 1:26-31 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Who was mankind made in the image of (verse 26)?

How was mankind created (verse 27)?

What did God tell them to do (verse 28)?

What did mankind have for food (verse 29)?

What did “everything that has the breath of life in it” have for food (verse 30)?

What did God see about “all that he had made” (verse 31)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about being fruitful?

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Where did Jesus go and sit (verse 1)?

Why did He move to sitting in a boat (verse 2)?

What did the farmer in the parable go out to do (verse 3)?

What happened to the seed sown “along the path” (verse 4)?

Why did the seed that fell in the rocky places spring “up quickly” (verse 5)?

Why did those plants wither quickly “when the sun come up” (verse 6)?

What happened to the seed that fell among the thorns (verse 7)?

Where did the seed that “produced a crop” fall (verse 8)?

Who is to “hear” (verse 9)?

What happens to the word for those who hear the message and don’t understand it (verse 19)?

How do those who are like the rocky ground receive the word (verse 20)?

When do they fall away (verse 21)?

What chokes the word and makes it unfruitful (verse 22)?

Who are those who are represented by the seed falling on good soil (verse 23)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about being fruitful?

In your opinion, how does the instruction of God to mankind in Genesis 1:26-31 apply to those who receive God’s word in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23?

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 kind of judgment should each Christian think of themselves (verse 3)?

What has God distributed to each Christian (verse 3)?

What don’t all members of the body have (verse 4)?

Who does each member of the body of Christ belong to (verse 5)?

What do we have different kinds of (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what should we do with our gifts (verses 6 through 8)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about being fruitful?

In your opinion, how does the instruction of God to “be fruitful and increase in number” in Genesis 1:26-31 apply to Christians who have received the gifts in Romans 12:3-8?

In your opinion, what does Romans 12:3-8 help us understand about how Christians can produce a crop as encouraged in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23?

1 Corinthians 3:5-15 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

What has the Lord “assigned to each” (verse 5)?

Who made the seed grow (verse 6)?

Who “is anything” (verse 7)?

How will Christians “be rewarded” (verse 8)?

What are Christians (verse 9)?

How should each one build (verse 10)?

What is the foundation that has been laid (verse 11)?

When will people’s work “be shown for what it is” (verses 12 and 13)?

When will the builder “receive a reward” (verse 14)?

What will happen to the builder if their work is “burned up” (verse 15)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about being fruitful?

In your opinion, how is the task assigned in 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 like the instructions given to mankind in Genesis 1:26-31?

In your opinion, what does 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 help us understand about those who Jesus says in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 hear and understand “the word”?

In your opinion, how does 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 help us understand how the different gifts listed in Romans 12:3-8 work together to produce results?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Genesis, Matthew, Romans and 1 Corinthians teach us about the source of all Christian growth?

In your opinion, what are the ways we can be fruitful today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)