Let's Go Back to the Bible

June: 28 Days to Grow Closer to Jesus

Day 2: Read Matthew 2. The Early Responses to the Birth of Jesus, My King

1. For what purpose had wise men come to find Jesus when He was a young child? Think about how significant this is. 2. Why did Herod have a very different response to the news of Jesus’ birth from the response of the wise men? 3. How do we see the Father’s hand involved throughout this chapter in the veneration and protection…

Day 3: Read Matthew 3. The Righteous Obedience of Jesus, My King

1. What was the significance of the simple message that John was preaching about repentance and the kingdom? 2. What warning did John issue about the nature of Jesus’ ensuing work? 3. What correlation is there between Jesus’ words in verse 15 and the Father’s words in verse 17? 4. What can I draw from this chapter to help me grow closer…

Day 4: Read Matthew 4. The Sinless Life and Early Preaching of Jesus, My King

1. What three words did Jesus use in each response to the devil’s temptations that show the surefire way to overcome every temptation? 2. While Jesus refused to follow the devil’s calling, what would have prompted the fishermen to immediately follow Jesus’ calling? 3. Although people don’t like to be told that they need to change the way they’re living to please…

Day 8: Read Matthew 8. The Power of Jesus, My King, Over Disease, Nature and Demons

1. In the variety of miracles in this chapter, what do you notice about the personal nature and the immediate efficacy of the miracles of Jesus? 2. In the middle of all of these miracles, what was Jesus’ point for us when He talked about foxes, birds and the dead? 3. What kind of reactions were people having to these early miracles…

Day 10: Read Matthew 10. The Inspired Ambassadors of Jesus, My King

1. From the hundreds of disciples that Jesus had, why do you think He selected a small handful (i.e., twelve) to be His closest workers (i.e., His apostles)? 2. If you were to summarize all that Jesus told His twelve apostles, what would you say was their primary task on this limited commission? 3. What did Jesus tell His disciples (with the…

Day 11: Read Matthew 11. The Identification and Invitation of Jesus, My King

1. By quoting from Isaiah to answer John’s inquiry, how did Jesus answer for everyone’s benefit (including ours) the clear evidence that proved He was “the Coming One”? 2. While Jesus says that there was no one greater than John, what did He then say to explain how anyone can become greater than John? 3. What is it about Jesus’ invitation at…

Day 12: Read Matthew 12. The Authoritative Rebukes of Jesus, My King

1. How would you characterize the manner in which Jesus responded to those who had ill intentions toward Him in their thoughts and questions? 2. What warning does Jesus give about the origin of our words and the grave consequences that our words can bring upon us? 3. What message was Jesus trying to impress upon His hearers as He talked about…

Day 13: Read Matthew 13. The Beautiful and Valuable Kingdom of Jesus, My King

1. While some might incorrectly look at parables as childish stories, what was Jesus’ stated reason for teaching the people in parables? 2. Knowing that the “kingdom” of which Jesus spoke is another word for His “church,” how did Jesus depict how valuable His church should be to us? 3. While some might disparage the need to be in Jesus’ church, how…

Day 15: Read Matthew 15. The Response of Jesus, My King, to the Faithless & the Faith-Filled

1. What were the Pharisees doing that caused Jesus to call them out as “Hypocrites”? 2. Since Jesus teaches us that evil thoughts, words and deeds proceed from our hearts, what should we do to protect our hearts from such? 3. While the Jewish leadership (who should have been the first to believe in Jesus) was rejecting Jesus, what was astounding about…

Day 16: Read Matthew 16. The Certain Death and Promised Church of Jesus, My King

1. What is the bedrock truth (stated by Peter) upon which Jesus said that His church would be built and would forever prevail? 2. While it was still a year away, why was it so significant for Jesus to already be predicting His death and His resurrection? 3. As Jesus was explaining the steep costs of following Him, why do you think…

Day 17: Read Matthew 17. The Glory and Majesty of Jesus, My King

1. What benefit would you say the transfiguration of Jesus had for Jesus Himself, and then what benefit for His disciples? 2. Why do you think that Jesus’ disciples continued to struggle with a feeble faith, even after more than two years of following Jesus every day? 3. Why would it have been so critical for the people to see Jesus exercising…

Day 18: Read Matthew 18. The Humble and Merciful Servants of Jesus, My King

1. In a practical way today, what can we do to be considered (by Jesus) to be great in the kingdom of God? 2. When there is conflict between brethren in the church, what would you say is the major key that Jesus gives for proper resolution? 3. While forgiving someone who has done us wrong is one of the hardest things…

Day 19: Read Matthew 19. The Seriousness of Following Jesus, My King, and His Will

1. While modern society mocks God’s design for marriage, how can we know that Jesus’ teachings on marriage and divorce still apply to us today? 2. If God was open to accepting any marriages comprised of any two people, how would you explain such restrictive teaching from Jesus on this subject? 3. The Bible never says that it is wrong to be…

Day 20: Read Matthew 20. The True Laborers and Servants in the Kingdom of Jesus, My King

1. Even though the Gentiles came into the Lord’s kingdom after the Jews, what was the promise that Jesus made to them? 2. Knowing that there is no one greater than Jesus who has ever lived, what did He teach (in word and example) is the only path to greatness in His kingdom? 3. How did Jesus’ response to the beggarly blind…

Day 21: Read Matthew 21. The Reverence for and the Rejection of Jesus, My King

1. Why do you think it was necessary for the King of kings to ride triumphantly into the capital city on a lowly donkey, instead of in a royal carriage? 2. By cleansing the temple for now the second time in His ministry, what was the primary message that Jesus was trying to get across to the people? 3. By specifying that…

Day 22: Read Matthew 22. The Repeated Plots and Challenges Against Jesus, My King

1. While all were invited to the wedding and marriage feast, what was the difference between those who rejected the invitation and those who accepted it? 2. What did Jesus teach about the state of the dead, when He used the present tense to talk about God’s relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? 3. Why do you think Jesus chose the two…

Day 23: Read Matthew 23. The Woe-Filled Rebukes of Jesus, My King

1. How did Jesus describe the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees in the first seven verses of the chapter? What can we learn from this? 2. Although some people today have tried to depict Jesus as soft and weak, what do we learn about Jesus’ character from the pronouncement of woes in this chapter? 3. Even though the Jews had repeatedly…

Day 24. Read Matthew 24. The Comings of Jesus, My King, in Judgments

1. Knowing the context (i.e., Jesus went into the temple in 21:23), what event is Jesus specifically addressing in the first 34 verses of this chapter (read verses 1-2)? 2. In warning these Jews that He would be coming (figuratively) in judgment upon Jerusalem, when did Jesus say that everything before verse 34 would take place? 3. When Jesus changed subjects in…

Day 26: Read Matthew 26. The Closing Hours of the Life of Jesus, My King

1. While Jesus could have left the memorializing of His death up to His disciples, why do you think it was so critical for Him to specify the details of the Lord’s Supper? 2. What insights do we receive into the heart of Jesus as Matthew describes for us how Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane? 3. How could Jesus…

Day 27: Read Matthew 27. The Suffering and Death of Jesus, My King

1. What would cause a people to become so recklessly blind to reality that they would demand the release of a murderer into their midst rather than Jesus? 2. While the startling events of nature that accompanied and followed the death of Jesus should have captured everyone’s attention, why do you think only the centurion noticed? 3. How do the facts of…

Day 28: Read Matthew 28. The Resurrection and Commission of Jesus, My King

1. What was the common, natural and immediate reaction of the women when they saw the resurrected Jesus, and also of the disciples when they saw Him? 2. What would have been the purpose for the soldiers to tell others that Jesus’ disciples had stolen His body away? Do you think that such a claim worked? 3. In the Great Commission that…