Queen's Road Cell

  Songs For Advent - The Divine Ruler    The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;     let the many coastlands be glad! 2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;     righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him     and burns up his adversaries all around. 4 His lightnings light up the world;     the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,     before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,     and all the peoples see his glory. 7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,     who make their boast in worthless idols;     worship him, all you gods! 8 Zion hears and is glad,     and the daughters of Judah rejoice,     ...

 We collaborated with Daniel Chiam's cell this year. Thanks to Eunice and Alvin also lending us Hannah and Timmy as well. It was a great time of working together! We pray that what we have sown, others will reap for God's kingdom.

1. How does Jesus display His kingship and character in 18:35-43? Jesus acknowledged the beggar’s call of “Son of David”, a royal designation. He commands the beggar  (Bartimaeus Mk 10:46) to be brought to Him.  There was compassion for one man crying out. He asks what the beggar wants, as if He had the power to accomplish it .  Matthew tells us that Jesus touched the man’s eyes, but Luke records no action. He mentions only the healing words, to which Jesus added, 'your faith has made you well' ( 18:42, cf. 8:48, 17:19). This does not mean that the man’s faith created the cure, but that it was the means by which he received it.(Morris)   2. In what ways does the blind beggar show faith in the King (18:38-43)? The blind man must have heard of Jesus. He seized his opportunity and called on Jesus as 'Son of David', the only one in this Gospel to address Jesus in this way (the expression is also used by Jesus in 20:41) He called/cried out loudly He called out per...

 16. The ruler feels that he can confidently claim to have obeyed each one of the commandments Jesus has named (18:21). But does Luke 18:22-23 suggest that the ruler is obeying the first commandment (Ex 20:3) perfectly? Why or why not? N.B.  'Ruler' is not specific. His youth (cf. Mt 19:22) would have made high office unlikely.    We have no evidence that Jesus sought to provoke the man. Mark (10:21) tells us that Jesus 'loved him'. His motivation for all he said to the man was out of this love. The ruler assumed he needed to do some work that he was not doing (cf. John 6:27-28 7  Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28  Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God? ” )   He could not see his failure to follow the first and greatest commandment. He loved his money more than the one he called 'g...

 The earlier parable about the unjust judge taught us to pray with persevering trust even though it seemed that answers were delayed. This second parable tells us the spirit in which were are to pray.   13. What is wrong with the Pharisee's attitude in prayer (18:11-12)? Standing is the usual posture for prayer (Mt 6:5, Mk 11:25) The Jews were only required to fast once, on the Day of Atonement.   What the Pharisee said of himself was true. But there was no sense of sin or humble dependence on God. 'The Pharisee came short of congratulating God on the excellence of his servant, but only just.' (Morris) ‘He glances at God, but contemplates himself’ (Plummer) - his prayer was completely centred on himself and his achievements. It is possible for a Christian to think (or pray) like this, but only in the recognition that God has enabled us to please Him. 14. What is good about the tax collector's attitude in prayer (18:13)? The lifting of eyes to heaven was normal in prayer...

 10. a. What did Jesus say to do when people claim that the Son of Man has returned (17:22-25)?  Do not believe and follow them. b. What reasons did He give? In conrast to the hidden appearance of the Kingdom begun at Jesus' first coming (17:20), the true second coming will be clear to everyone.   "But first" speaks of the necessity of sequence in God's plan. Suffering always precedes glory.       "you will desire to see the days of the Son of Man" probably means that believers will long for the time when the messianic kingdom is inaugurated, but Jesus will not yet have returned.  A less likely interpretation is that the disciples will long for the time when Jesus was physically with them.    11. How will the days of the Son  of Man be like the days of Noah and Lot (17:26-35)? People will be engaged in the ordinary activities of life (no sinful activities are mentioned here). They were self-centred, in contrast to Noah and Lot, who th...

5. What is Jesus's point about faith in Luke 17:5-6? The apostles may have felt that great faith is needed for forgivenes. Jesus is not concerned about the quantity of faith, but its genuineness. It is not so much great faith that is required as faith in a great God.(Morris)   The rabbis held that the roots of the tree with this name would remain in the earth for 600 years. Why are mulberry trees not uprooted in our experience then? The immediate conclusion would be the lack even of minimal amounts of faith, but that is not Jesus' point. Answers to prayer depend on trust in God, implying a certain knowledge of His character and will. Answers depend then on: our relationship with Christ (Jn 15:7) steadfastness of trust (Js 1:6) asking according to God's will (1 Jn 5:14) not asking for selfish reasons (Js 4:3) Faith, then, is not a force where, after reaching a certain level, answers to prayer become possible.  6. How should God's servant feel even if he manages to exerci...

Divorce and remarriage God “hates divorce” (Mal 2:16, KJV).  The Law allowed men to divorce their wives (Deut. 24:1ff.), though women could not divorce their husbands Divorce misrepresents and breaks the meaning of marriage. To divorce for remarriage is wrong. Jesus rejected the Pharisees’ justification of divorce and pointed out God’s original ethical ideal of marriage. Divorce does not dissolve the marriage bond. Remarriage is adultery.   The marriage bond is life-long, dissolved only by death (1 Co 7:39, Ro 7:1-3) 2 exceptions : 1.The “Matthean exception”(Mt 5:31-32, 19:3-9) • What is meant by ‘sexual immorality’ (Gk. ‘porneia’)? • Does the exception of sexual immorality apply to divorce, or to both divorce and remarriage? 2.  The “Pauline exception” (1 Cor 7:10-16) • What does “I, not the Lord” mean? (c.f. 7:40, 14:37-28) • What does “not enslaved/bound” mean?  Different views: No divorce to be initiated, no remarriage until death. Divorce only with adultery or r...

 21. In 16:10-13, Jesus commends a particular character trait of a good disciple: faithful or trustworthy stewardship. Jesus spoke this parable to 'the disciples' (16:1), but the Pharisees are still in the background (16:14). This parable is difficult to interpret because Jesus appears to commend dishonesty.  The likely explanation is that the steward is commended, not for his dishonesty, but for taking resolute action in a crisis. The coming of Jesus forced people to decision. When even dishonest worldly people know how and when to take decisive action, much more should those who follow him. T. W. Manson reminds us that there is a world of difference between ‘I applaud the dishonest steward because he acted cleverly’ and ‘I applaud the clever steward because he acted dishonestly’ (Morris) The text also makes it clear that Jesus commended the steward for forward planning by buying friends with money - something intangible with something tangible. We are asked to do the same. ...