Month: October 2021

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 4: Matthew 7:13-20

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 7:13-20

The road to life has a small gate and is narrow and only a few find it. The road to destruction is wide and broad and many enter.

Watch out for false prophets whom you will know by the fruit they bear. They will bear bad fruit and can only bear bad fruit. Good trees bear good fruit, and bad ones bear bad. Bad trees are cut down and thrown into the fire.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 4: Matthew 7:13-20

9a) That the path to life (heaven) is only through him and not many will find this path. John 14:6 says he is the only way to God. He is the way, the truth, the life. Acts 4:12 says salvation is found only in Jesus.

b) They want to believe the path to heaven is more complicated than that, and they want to be able to do what they want without following God’s law and still gain access to heaven.

10a) They bear bad fruit. John 15:16 says God chooses those to be with Him to bear lasting fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

b) You have to have the ability to discern those who are false prophets from those who are true; those with good hearts versus those who are bad. Judging is about ensuring you are holding yourself to the same standard when you judge others. Thus, by looking at people’s fruit/good deeds, this can help you discern the truth.

11) Be careful of smooth talkers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, and others who sound/say something that is too good to be true. Pray and discern to ensure you are not being led astray.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 4: Matthew 7:13-20

Good reminder that God chooses those who go to heaven, and that you have to be wary of false prophets.

Good read on false prophets.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 4: Matthew 7:13-20

As Christians know, the path to heaven is narrow and difficult and will not be easy to traverse. Jesus is telling his disciples to prepare for future hardships.

Being aware that there are false prophets is step one. Watch out for those who motivated purely by self-interest. Do these prophets teach God’s Word, are people growing in God, and do they live out God’s teachings?

Before judging others’ fruit, judge your own. Are you bearing good or bad fruit? You are either bearing one or the other. Those who bear neither good nor bad are considered bad.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 3: Matthew 7:7-12

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 7:7-12

“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.” If you ask God, He will give you good gifts like we would our kids.

Do unto others what you want done to you. This is the Law.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 3: Matthew 7:7-12

6) “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.” He promises that you will receive, you will find, and doors will be opened.

7a) That God cares for us more than anything even though we are evil.

b) Romans 8:28 says that God works through all things for our good. After all, God gave us His only Son and gives us all things in His grace.

8a) Be very gentle, listen, offer advice, help, be caring and compassionate.

b) Matthew 22:34-40 teaches us that the greatest commands are to love God and love your neighbor. God gave us the to show us how to live and to point to Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross for us. God gave us all of this out of His great love. When we love, we have God’s heart.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 3: Matthew 7:7-12

This is one of my favorite verses of the Bible. God makes things so simple, yet we humans complicate them so much. Ask, seek, and knock. Then love. That’s all it takes to be God’s.

A great read about the best way to live. Check it out!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 3: Matthew 7:7-12

Jesus takes more time to teach us how to pray. When we ask, we receive, which is the reward of asking. When we seek God, we’ll find Him. He doesn’t hide from us. We knock at God’s door (heaven) to be let in. God opens the door in response to us knocking.

You enter into the Gospel like you enter an open door. While it is there, you have to ask for it and seek it out.

Sometimes you must keep asking, seeking, and knocking; God does not answer immediately. Prayer shows our dependence on God.

God wants to give us what we ask for and more.

The Golden Rule

The negative form of this was a popular saying in Jewish culture at the time. “You should not do to your neighbor what you would not want him to do to you.” Jesus turned a negative into a positive. Many cultures have a similar saying to the Golden Rule. Jesus wants us to take action.

You cannot break any of God’s laws by treating others as we want to be treated.

None of us can maintain this high standard except Jesus, but it is a worthy goal.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 2: Matthew 7:1-6

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 7:1-6

Jesus is still speaking his sermon on the mount. Do not judge others, and you won’t be judged. Quit being a hypocrite and judging others for it. Do not give your valuables to others who may trample them and tear you to pieces.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 2: Matthew 7:1-6

3a) Just that — Don’t judge others and think you are better than them when you are not.

b) Discernment by definition is “the ability to judge well” or in Biblical thinking “perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding.” God helps you arrive at the best decision. Romans says that discernment is knowing the right thing to do and doing it. You will be able to know God’s will and be able to do it, too. Philippians says discernment is knowing what is best in order to do good and avoid sin. Hebrews says God blesses wise discernment.

c) Galatians says that believers should help those who have been caught in sin with a spirit of forgiveness. If you know about God, you must share it with others. Ephesians reminds us to be gentle, humble, and patient with others in love. Christians are to support one another, forgive each other, and help each other to be better discerners and walkers in God’s word.

4) You must be merciful because you yourself have faults, too, and are in need of mercy. James reminds us to speak and act as though you will be judged.

5) I judge others when they do behavior I think is not right. I have to remember that I probably do the same things, am a sinner, and I’m in need of mercy, too.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 2: Matthew 7:1-6

I love being reminded about how wrong judging is and to not do it. It’s such a human thing to do, to think better of yourself than others, but in God’s eyes, we are all the same. We need to look at others as such, too.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 8, Day 2: Matthew 7:1-6

You will be judged the same way you judge others. That being said, approving of others’ behavior is not the same as judging. This verse does not say you have to approve, only not to judge and/or treat others differently because of what they do, say, or believe.

Can you judge others’ behavior? Yes. But you must do so in the same manner that you want to be judged. Since a lot of people judge others by different standards than they judge themselves, it is often best not to judge at all.

Jesus uses an example to drive home his point. A plank is much larger than a speck. We are often blind to our own faults, but can see the smallest faults in others. In short, we are hypocrites. First, fix your own faults before you worry about others’.

Still, Jesus said we must use discernment to not give precious things to those who will not appreciate them. Or, do not give unbelievers holy things.

Bible scholars say that pearls are precious items. Do not give them to those who don’t want to receive them.

In sum, don’t give all of your precious strength and valuables to those whom God has not prepared to accept him. Look for those who are ready to receive Christ.

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Another Special Prayer Request for My Great Dane

by atozmom, posted in Dogs

Hey all,

I posted back in June, asking for prayers for my Great Dane.

Tomorrow, we have a vet appointment where we will most likely be putting him down.

His condition has gotten worse in the last few weeks.

He cannot walk without help. We have to pick him up to stand. Even then, he falls over a lot. There are days when he can’t walk at all.

A few days ago, I was picking him up and he gave me that look that animals get near the end that says, “It’s okay, Momma. You can let me go, now.”

Asking for prayers for him, his journey ahead, and us, and our journey ahead.

So appreciated.

BSF Matthew Lesson 7 Additional Bible Resources: The Lord’s Prayer Edition

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

Hey all!

I thought I’d focus on cool items for the Lord’s prayer since it’s so integral to our lives. These below make great gifts for the holidays (that will be here soon enough!).

Enjoy!

 

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Friday Digest BSF Matthew Lesson 7

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN MATTHEW 6 BSF LESSON 7

  • Please God in ways unseen.
  • Give without expectations of return.
  • Prayer is trusting in God to provide.
  • God is the source of all we have and need.
  • God provides us the strength to resist sin and to keep going when times are tough/
  • Prayer is a delight and our way to God.
  • God is our treasure.
  • God is our provider.
  • Worry can rob you of faith and time.
  • God’s gift from worry is the world around us. Enjoy it!

TAKE AWAY: The Holy Spirit works God’s love deeply into our hearts.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 5: Matthew 6:25-34

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 6:25-34

Do not worry about life, food, your body, and clothes. God takes care of the birds, and you are more valuable to God than them. Will worrying add an hour to your life? (In fact, all it does is take away an hour or more from your life).

Don’t worry about your clothes. The lilies of the field are more splendid than Solomon’s clothes ever were. If God clothes the lilies as such, won’t he clothe you, too?

Do not worry about your basic needs; God knows you need them. If you seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, all things will be given to you. Thus, don’t worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Focus on the day at hand.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 5: Matthew 6:25-34

13) Do not worry about life, food, your body, and clothes.

14a) God takes care of the birds’ needs and He clothes the lilies of the field.

b) Money and paying the bills.

15) If you seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, all things will be given to you.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 5: Matthew 6:25-34

Most of us know a worrier (or, that person may be you). God says to trust Him that He’s got it. If you think about all of the time you worry about “what ifs” (most of which never come true), that could be time you spent instead drawing nearer to God. We all have limited hours and days given to us: how are you spending yours?

For your kids:

For you:

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 5: Matthew 6:25-34

Life is more about your physical needs. Your spiritual needs should take precedence.

You have to work to eat so this passage is not saying sit around and hope God will feed you. Stress can kill you, so there is no point to worry. It’s about working and allowing God to do the rest.

You honor God and seek His kingdom when you do the right thing in the world, such as honoring others. We spend most of our time worrying about things we have no control over and that never come to fruition. Give it to God instead.

Live in the present and “worry” about today only.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 4: Matthew 6:19-24

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY MATTHEW 6:19-24

Don’t store up treasures on earth that will eventually disappear. Instead, store up treasures in heaven where nothing can destroy or steal them. Your heart is where your treasure is.

Your eyes are the light of your body. If you have good eyes, you’ll be full of light. If your eyes are bad, you’ll be full of darkness.

You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 4: Matthew 6:19-24

9a) Everything on earth can be collected and lost — material possessions, health, family, animals, etc.
b) The good they do in the world — helping others, doing God’s will, etc

10) Psalm 119:72: God’s word and laws are more important than silver or gold.
Luke 12:15-21: Life is not about how many possessions you can accumulate. Jesus tells a parable about a rich man who produced a good crop and wanted to store it all up for years to come. But God said to him he will die that night so he won’t get all that he prepared for himself. Instead, be rich for God, not yourself.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18: Fix your eyes on what is eternal, and all of your troubles will achieve an eternal glory that is far greater that material items.
Philippians 3:8: Everything is a loss in comparison to having and knowing Jesus who is your greatest possession.
1 Peter 1:4-5: Our inheritance is in heaven and it will never perish, spoil, or fade. It is shielded by God’s power until Jesus comes again.

11) God and money

12a) Probably material things. I work to pay the bills and have the things I want in this world. I work to raise my kids so they have everything good and easy in this world, too.

b) To treasure Him more. All things are from Him, so to recognize that when I get items I want, I’m getting them from God and a piece of Him as well.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 4: Matthew 6:19-24

Knowing who you work for and your motives is the first step towards working for God. It’s all too easy to work for things that, in the end, will never satisfy us. This is a slow process for many of us, but as our faith grows, so too will our treasure in heaven.

Great reads here!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 4: Matthew 6:19-24

Earthly treasures are temporary and fade away; heavenly ones are permanent.

It’s helpful to think that the work we do for others will be everlasting.

We need light to see by. By being generous, we bring light to others and to our lives, too. As you probably have experienced, you are more productive when you focus on one task, and not on multiple tasks.

An evil eye meant someone who was jealous and envious of his neighbor, loved money, and was not charitable.

Our body needs all of our parts to work well, so if your eyes are bad, so is the rest of your body.

You cannot worship two gods. Use your money to serve God and therefore others. Anyone can be greedy, even those who don’t have much.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 3: Matthew 6:5-13

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 6:5-13:

Pray to God unseen so you are not trying to impress men in order to give the impression you are righteous. Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray the Lord’s prayer. Forgive those who sin against you, and God will forgive you for your sins.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 3: Matthew 6:5-13

6) Pray to God not to be seen or to please others, but instead isolate yourself so it’s just you and God alone together. Do not pray just to pray many words. God knows what you need. Honor God, pray for daily needs, forgiveness, and help with sin.

7) God is holy and sacred.

God’s sovereign will be done in my life.

Give us our needs for the day.

Forgive our sins and let us forgive others

Help us to resist the devil and overcome sin.

8 ) It teaches me to honor God and acknowledge all of the good he does in my life and to ask for forgiveness of my sins.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 3: Matthew 6:5-13

I love how Jesus instructs us, and we aren’t left to our own devices. The Lord’s prayer is a great prayer example given to us to follow, so you don’t have to guess. On those days when you don’t know what to pray, this is a wonderful go-to.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 3: Matthew 6:5-13

PRAYING

You should not pray to be seen. They insult God. Praying on street corners and in public without the right heart is not what Jesus wants.

Instead, pray in your room. This Greek word for “room” was a storeroom where treasures were kept.

Pray with meaning and not with words to impress God. Instead, let your words be few Ecclesiastes 5:2:

God knows our wants and our prayers before we speak them. We pray not to communicate these to Him, but instead to show God our hearts and desires and increase our faith in God.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

It’s important to remember that the Lord’s prayer is just a model that shows relationship, reverence, trust, and dependence on God.

  1. Recognize who you are praying to (Our Father in Heaven). Jews of the day rarely used “Father” for God as it was too intimate for them. God is in heaven, holy and glorious. Our Father includes everyone.
  2. God’s name, kingdom, and will above all else.
  3. List your needs — bread, forgiveness, and strength to resist temptation. Debts here refers to our sins. We all face temptation (James 1:13),, but we all have ways out.(1 Corinthians 10:13).
  4. Praise God. Many Bible scholars agree the last line of the Lord’s supper was added later on since most early transcribers omitted it.

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BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 2: Matthew 6:1-18

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 6:1-18

Be careful to not do acts of righteousness before men; if you do, you won’t have any rewards from your Father in heaven. Instead, all you will have is man’s applause and recognition, when you really want/need God’s. Do not give to the needy for yourself and for recognition (let your left hand know what your right hand is doing). Instead, give in secret. The Father will know and will reward you.

Pray to God unseen so you are not trying to impress men in order to give the impression you are righteous. Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray the Lord’s prayer. Forgive those who sin against you, and God will forgive you for your sins.

Do not fast in order to appear pious for men. Instead, don’t let others know you are fasting and look good while fasting. Your Father will see you and reward you.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 2: Matthew 6:1-18

3a) Be careful to not do acts of righteousness before men; if you do, you won’t have any rewards from your Father in heaven.

b) About giving to the needy: Do not give to the needy for yourself and for recognition (let your left hand know what your right hand is doing). Instead, give in secret. The Father will know and will reward you.

About prayer: Pray to God unseen so you are not trying to impress men in order to give the impression you are righteous. Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray the Lord’s prayer.

About fasting: Do not fast in order to appear pious for men. Instead, don’t let others know you are fasting and look good while fasting. Your Father will see you and reward you.

All of Jesus’s examples teach to do these things for God and not for man’s recognition.

4) Jesus says to shine God’s light in Matthew 5:14-16. In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus says to not parade your good deeds around in order to seek man’s approval. Instead, God knows what you do, and you will be rewarded. Christians are to do good works so others can see God, but these works are not to be done in order to be seen doing these good works by others.

5) I tend to not care at all what others think. It can be easy to fall into the trap of putting up appearances, however. God and His opinion are all that matter.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 2: Matthew 6:1-18

Good lesson ensuring you are working for God and not others. We can fall into this trap just because we aren’t cognizant of it.

Great reminder of God’s grace!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 7, Day 2: Matthew 6:1-18

This passage is warning us of worrying too much about your image, rather than who you truly are. Don’t do things for appearances; do them for the right reasons.

Applause and attention of men fade away quickly; God’s rewards are eternal.

Jesus speaks to giving, praying, and fasting since they were and still are so central to the Jewish faith and now Christians as well.

GIVING

Giving alms to the poor was expected of people, and it was counted as righteous. Doing so makes you a hypocrite if they are acting pious when they truly are not.

Hypocrite has ancient Greek origins of meaning “an actor.” However, its meaning changed to playing roles on a stage instead. Instead, give and not know you are giving because you are generous.

PRAYING

You should not pray to be seen. They insult God. Praying on street corners and in public without the right heart is not what Jesus wants.

Instead, pray in your room. This Greek word for “room” was a storeroom where treasures were kept.

Pray with meaning and not with words to impress God. Instead, let your words be few Ecclesiastes 5:2:

God knows our wants and our prayers before we speak them. We pray not to communicate these to Him, but instead to show God our hearts and desires and increase our faith in God.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

It’s important to remember that the Lord’s prayer is just a model that shows relationship, reverence, trust, and dependence on God.

  1. Recognize who you are praying to (Our Father in Heaven). Jews of the day rarely used “Father” for God as it was too intimate for them. God is in heaven, holy and glorious. Our Father includes everyone.
  2. God’s name, kingdom, and will above all else.
  3. List your needs — bread, forgiveness, and strength to resist temptation. Debts here refers to our sins. We all face temptation (James 1:13),, but we all have ways out.(1 Corinthians 10:13).
  4. Praise God. (Many Bible scholars agree the last line of the Lord’s supper was added later on since it was omitted by most early transcribers.

FORGIVENESS

You must forgive if you are to be forgiven by God. It is not an option.

For more on forgiveness by Jesus, read here: (Matthew 9:2-6, 18:21-35, and Luke 17:3-4).

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