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19 February, 2015

Search The Scriptures — Study 28 — Luke 10:25-42



Study 28 of "Search The Scriptures” Is:

Luke 10:25-42

    1.     Consider the summary of the law in verse 27. Is it an adequate summary? How does Jesus’ story guard against a misinterpretation of it? Who is your neighbour? And how can you prove yourself to be a neighbour?

    2.     Verse 38-42. Martha and Mary were concerned about different things. Which did Jesus consider the more important, and how did He solve the tension between them?


Notes.  Verse 42. The ‘one thing’ may well be a pun, implying that there is no reason  for an elaborate meal, and Mary, by choosing to listen to Jesus, has chosen the best dish.                                                         



       STUDY 27

Though He Tarry Wait For Him (Whatever the reason He puts you on a waiting mode, however long He decided)


Though He Tarry Wait For Him (Whatever the reason He puts you on a waiting mode, however long He decided)

When I was not a good Christian (I had Christ in my intellect, but not my heart) I used to talk about Abraham  in a way that I can now see as being self-righteous, and I could not understand how he made a mess of things by having Ishmael.  Now that I have been waiting for God for almost a decade, I understand his dilemma.  Through the waiting process, even though you might be doing everything right in the way that you are waiting for Him, but I find that at one point, the promise is almost like a blur. If you do not watch yourself, you will actually take matters into your hands, not because you set out to disobey.  Through the waiting process your soul is completed worn out and it spills out through the exterior life. It is so bad that you want to do something drastic to get out of the funk that you are in.

But, I also understand why God will judge us more harshly if we do not wait. (1) Like Paul said in Romans 15:4 ‘ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us’, then we must learn from them and think of the detrimental consequences of not waiting.  If there are no detrimental consequences, then, God would not be God. (2) I find that even though the promise is so distant and you are having a hard time holding onto the reality of it, but, when you try to put words into God’s mouth which ultimately changes things around and lead you to sin against Him. Through all the noise and the confusion, you can still hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit asking you to guard your heart, right this minute. I find when this happens, the best thing for me to do is to not even try to decipher what is real and what is not.  Strangely, as you decide to give in to the Spirit’s warning, you find rest and strength for the moment. 

When I compare myself to Abraham, I know he was hundreds time a better man because he was like a Guinea pig and had nothing to fall back on. I am sealed with the Spirit of God and I have materials available to me that I would never be able to go through in my lifetime.  So, when I look at the problem this way, I cannot help asking myself, what’s my excuse not to wait?

Thanks for allowing me to rant, it has been very therapeutic…


18 February, 2015

Search The Scriptures — Study 27 — Luke 10:13-24

Study 27 of "Search The Scriptures” Is:

Luke 10:13-24

     1.     What do these verse show of the greatness of our privileges in Christ? In how many of them are you sharing?

     2.     Verses 21, 22. What caused this outburst of joy? What does this prayer teach us of (a) the Father’s method of working, (b) Jesus’ unique relationship with the Father?

Notes
      1.       Verses 13-15. Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum: towns of Galilee.

      2.       Verses 18, 19.  The language is symbolic of triumph over Satan and all evil.

       BIBLE GATEWAY LINK

       STUDY 26

17 February, 2015

Search The Scriptures — Study 26 — Luke 9:57-10:12




Today we are going back to studying Luke's book and we will pick up where we left off. 

Study 26 of "Search The Scriptures” Is:
Luke 9:57-10:12

     1.     9:57-62.  How would you describe the three different types referred to here? Why was Jesus not satisfied with their response to His summons to follow Him? Contrast Jesus’s own attitude (verse 51)
    2.      10:1-12. How do these verses show the urgency both in Jesus’ own concern for evangelism, and in the work He gives to His disciples? What is the reason for this urgency? In what activities ought it to make us engage?
Note.  9:59, 60 The man wants to delay until after his father’s death, which may be imminent.  In Jesus’s reply ‘the dead’ are those who have no spiritual life. 







16 February, 2015

Search The Scriptures — Study 19 — Genesis 26

Study 19 of "Search The Scriptures” Is:

Genesis 26

     1.     Why did Isaac fail so badly after receiving striking promises from God? What was different about his reaction when the promises were repeated?

     2.     What can we learn from the quarrel over the wells concerning the way to behave in the face of opposition or hostility?  Cf. 1 Pet. 2:23

This is the end of the first part of the study of Genesis.  Tomorrow we will continue with the second part of Luke study.


15 February, 2015

Search The Scriptures — Study 18 — Genesis 24:61—25-34

Study 18 of "Search The Scriptures” Is:

Genesis 24:61-25:34

1.     What light do we get from this portion on the kind of man Isaac was? See 24:63-67; 25:28.

2.     Contrast Jacob and Esau, as described in 25:27-34. In their habits, character and spiritual outlook. What lesson is drawn in Heb.12:14-17 from Esau‘s conduct in regard to his birthright?

3.     Review Abraham’s life. What gives him an outstanding place in world history and makes him a conspicuous example to us all? Cf. Is. 41:8; Gal.3:9, 29.

BIBLE GATEWAY LINK 

STUDY 17


14 February, 2015

Search The Scriptures — Study 17 — Genesis 24:1-60

Study 17 of "Search The Scriptures” Is:

Genesis 24:1-60

      1.  What can we learn from the attitude of Abraham’s servant in his relation to (a) his master, and (b) the task given to him? What were his confidence and concern? Cf. Col. 3:22-24.

     2.   Examine the manner in which the servant made his choice, and the test he employed. Of what did he become particularly conscious? Can we learn from this about choosing a life-partner?


     3. What picture do we get of Rebekah?