Search The Scriptures —Study 1— 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Study 1 From The Book of 2 Corinthians Is: 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

1.    After a formal greeting and introduction Paul opens his letter on a note of praise. What particular aspects of God’s character does Paul give praise for? Why do you think these should be particularly singled out in this letter? Can we learn from Paul’s experiences any new lessons about the Christian in his personal relationships with God?

2.    What reasons does Paul give in this passage for wanting the Corinthians to be fully aware of the extent of his sufferings? What spiritual gain would they get from his suffering (verse 6)? What part are they to play, and with what result (verse 11)?  How faithful are we in our support of those whose Christian lives entail more than a usual amount of suffering?

3.    Compare the formal greeting of this letter with similar ones in other Epistles (e.g., Gal. 1:1). On what ground dos Paul rest his claim to apostleship? How does he describe the church in Corinth in spite of its defects?  What blessings does he ask for its members? How far are these blessings real to you?

Note.  Verses 8-10 “to be ignorant”: in the sense of ‘to underrate’. The Corinthians knew of the afflictions, but not of its gravity. ‘I absolutely despaired of life. Yes, and when I asked, What shall be the end? The whispered answer of my heart was, Death. ‘This taught me to rely no more on my own strength, but upon God alone, for He can raise up men actually dead’ (way).

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Search The Scriptures — Study 0—2nd Corinthians Introduction

Study 0 From 2 Corinthians is:  The Introduction

This letter was written from Macedonia (2:13; 7:5; 8:1; 9:2-4) after Paul had left Ephesus

(Acts 20:1, 2). Paul had met Titus on his return from a mission to Corinth, and the report from a mission to Corinth, and the report which Titus gave greatly relieved Paul’s anxieties, especially in regard to the church’s favourable reception of, and action upon, a severe letter which Paul had written them (2:3, 4; 7:5-16). But, there were still other matters which gave Paul much concern. There was a minority in the church opposed to him, and their influence had been strengthened by the arrival of Jewish Christian, who claimed a apostolic rank, and sought to undermine Paul’s authority by making false insinuations against him.

The whole letter vibrates with strong feeling—glowing with love, weighted down with sorrow, burning with indignation. It is the most personal of Paul’s letters to the churches, for he had been deeply wounded by the doubts cast upon his personal integrity, his love for those whom he had won for Christ, and upon the validity of his apostolic commission. He knew well also that in their attacks upon him his enemies were really striking at his gospel (11:1-5). Hence the vehemence of his defence.

The letter falls into three main sections, chapters 1-7, 8-9, 10-13. The chief theme of the first is the nature of Paul’s Christian ministry----its divine glory and power (2:12-4:6); its human weakness and final reward (4:7 – 5:10) its motive, message and methods (5:11-6:10). The theme of chapters 8 and 9 is the collection which Paul is organizing. He indicates the motives for and blessedness of Christian giving. In the closing chapters Paul feels himself reluctantly compelled to declare what manner of man he is, that his readers may know how far from the truth the slanders of his enemies are. These chapters give an insight into the apostle’s character such as we find nowhere else.  They also contain promises for the weak, and a much-needed warning against the cunning disguises of Satan.

Search The Scriptures —Study 35— Psalm 41

Study 35 From The Psalms is:  Psalm 41

With this lesson, we are taking a break once more from the Psalms to continue with the book of

2 Corinthians.

1.    David from his sick-bed thinks of the words, thoughts and attitudes of other people, some of whom visited him. Note the different ways they added to the sufferings of David. In contrast to this, think of ways by which you can consider the poor, weak and those who are sick.

2.    Amid the ‘fighting without and fear within’ (2 Cor. 7:5), how did the psalmist’s faith finally gain the victory?

Note. Verse 1. ‘Considers’: the Hebrew word implies wise as well as kindly consideration LXX: ‘He that understands’.

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Search The Scriptures —Study 34— Psalm 40:11-17

34 From The Psalms is:  Psalm 40:11-17

1.    What are the reasons for the psalmist requiring God’s help?

2.    On what grounds does he ask for God’s help, and what does he see as the result of an answer to his prayer? What lessons can we learn for our own prayer life?

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Search The Scriptures —Study 33— Psalm 40:1-10

Study 33 From The Psalms is:  Psalm 40:1-10

This psalm consists of two parts, which differ widely in their content. The first part is full of joyous thanksgiving for recent deliverance; the second pleads for help in the midst of distress and danger.

1.    What five things does David say in verses 1-3 that God did for him? And what effects did his deliverance have upon those who witnessed it? Have you a corresponding experience of God’s deliverance, and has it had a similar effect? Cf. Acts 9:34, 35, 41, 42.

2.    To what reflections, resolve and actions did his deliverance give rise in David’s own heart and life? See verses 4:10.

Note. Verses 6-8 are quoted in Heb.10:5-7, but from the Lxx version, which has a different reading in the second line of verse 6. The general meaning is not, however, essentially different. ‘As the ear is the instrument for receiving the divine command, so the body is the instrument for fulfilling it.’ (Cambridge Bible).  

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Search The Scriptures —Study 32— Psalm 39

Study 32 From The Psalms is:  Psalm 39

1.    Why was the psalmist at first silent, and why did he break silence and speak? When he gave utterance to his thoughts, to whom did he speak?  What can we learn from this? Cf. Ps. 62:8; Jas. 3:5, 6.

2.    IT seems that God had many lessons to teach David, and that after his fall his eyes were opened to some of them in a new way. Discover from this psalm what some of these lessons were, and ask yourself, ‘Have I learnt them?’

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Search The Scriptures —Study 31— Psalm 38

Study 31 From The Psalms is:  Psalm 38

1.    If this psalm was written when David’s great sin first came to light and struck dismay and horror into the hearts of his friends, can we wonder that its tone is so subdued? How great the contrast with Ps.35! What light does the psalm throw upon the effects of discovered sin in the life of a believer?

2.    The three divisions of this psalm are marked by the fact that they all begin with an address to God. Do you discern a progress in faith from one section to the next?

Notes

1. Verse 5. ‘My wounds’: i.e., my stripes, a poetic description of God’s scourging.
2. Verse 11. ‘My plague’: his friends regard him with horror as if he were a leper.

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Search The Scriptures —Study 30— Psalm 37:21-40

Study 30 From The Psalms is:  Psalm 37:21-40

1.    Verses 21-31.  This section of the psalm expands in fuller measure what was said of the reward of the righteous in verses 4, 6,9,11. What do verses 21-31 say about the righteous? How do you measure up to this description?

2.    Upon what does the salvation (past, present, and future) of the righteous depend? See verses 22, 24, 28, 33, 39, 40.

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WE NEED GOD’S STAMP OF APPROVAL IN THE WAY WE BELIEVE

This morning I had such an awesome time with God during my meditation time and even though there is no need for now to share all that He has revealed to me but I still want to share a tidbit of it with you.

If we go back to the scriptures, we see that Christ praised some people for their faith, even though what they said to Him seems banal. One of the examples is the thief on the cross. Another one is the centurion that impressed Him so much that He even said in Mark 8:10 ‘“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. Yet, we see His interaction with the rich man in Mark 10. Christ told Him what needs to be done and left it at that. He did not force him, nor ran after him to force him to understand what he was offering. Of course, most of us tend to focus on what is obvious, which is the riches that he possessed caused the man to miss out on what was being offered to him. But, as we grow in the Lord, and this life becomes more and more about the interior life than anything else we realize that this situation was recorded in the Bible for our benefit. The more we grow the more we can see Christ’s tender heart for us in what has transpired with the rich man.

As I read the Bible I realize that Christ had a pattern in the way He interacted with people. He preached boldly to those who despised Him and those who followed in their own interests. He had a way of telling them what is what and left it at that. This is because Christ knew what is in our hearts and what is real or not.  In the same way, Christ has left the Spirit of God to help us, convince us and to verify for us when we truly believe in Him or not. So, not only we can see that we are growing “spiritually”, but the Holy Spirit Himself will always witness to us in order to help us and encourage us in the path we are in. The amount of time He chooses to witness to us can be once in a blue moon and for some this happens weekly or monthly. The quantity is not what is important here.  What is important is that we know directly from Him that we are “right with Him”.

Here is why it is important that our beliefs are confirmed to us by Him. These days we hear almost daily how people are dying left right and center in every corner of the world, and all is done in the name of God. It is easy for you and I to ask ourselves ‘ how in the world someone could kill even one human being without thinking of the damages left behind’? Let alone killing a dozen of twelve dozen all at once.

The truth is, these people doing the killing in the name of Allah are acting out their own beliefs. They truly believe they are acting in the best interest of God and trying to tell them otherwise would be like hitting a brick wall. You and I would make a grave mistake to think that we are above them in their beliefs if the spirit of God has never confirmed anything to us and we have been taking a stab at Christianity through our rituals and the laws. Their beliefs and their version of the Bible, which is the Quran is as sacred to them as ours are to us. In the same way we think we are 100 % right that we are following the right religion, they feel the same way too. How then do we KNOW that we KNOW what we KNOW? How then do we know that we are truly His heirs? How do we know we are truly right with Him? The reality is, when we are not right with God, our religion do not matter. Whether we are nicer than someone else, do not matter either. Like God has taught me, there are only two sides and all those that are not “right” with Him, are all lumped on one side. It is not a question of who is more evil than the other. So, if you are counting on your common sense and rituals to confirm to yourself that you are a child of God, I suggest you wrestle with Him like Jacob did, until you KNOW that you are right with Him. Remain at His feet, surrender yourself and ask Him to change your heart.  There is nothing wrong in asking God to confirm your path to you.

Some would say that you should not doubt, because you go to church, you said the sinner’s prayer, you have been baptized and you read your Bible, you are part of ministry, you are even a leader. Well, the Muslim who is killing in the name of Allah has his version of rituals down path too and he is as convince as you that he is right with God too.

Did the Spirit of God who left the Holy Spirit for this very purpose has confirmed things to you? Don’t say I did not share with you…..

Search The Scriptures —Study 29 — Psalm 37:1-20

Study 29 From The Psalms is:  Psalm 37:1-20

1.    What things are we told not to do in these verses, and what reasons are we given for this?

2.    What positive counsels are contained in verses 1-11? Note also the promises attached.  How far are you personally obeying these injunctions?

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