Canvey Methodist Church Bible Studies 9th November 2021

Tuesday 9th November 2021 

 

Readings : Daniel 12:1-3;  Psalm 16;  Hebrews 10:11-25;  Mark 13:1-8;

 

Daniel Clip 

https://youtu.be/xtrK2GnZyVg

 

Theme: Finding A Path Through Difficult Times 

Read Daniel 12:1-3.  New International Version.  The End Times

12 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise (or who impart wisdom) will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

Comment: 

The book of Daniel was the last book to be written (around 180BC) in the Old Testament during a period of severe tribulation- probably when the Syrian King, Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem and provoked the Maccabean revolt. However, the events described are set much earlier during the time of the Babylonian exile (6th Century BC); And these were certainly difficult times.

Daniel was written to encourage Jewish people who were loyal to God in the most testing of circumstances. But the promise is that people will be delivered.

Also notice in verse 2 the only clear reference to belief in the resurrection to be found in the Old Testament. 

The message: Even in the most extreme and difficult of times there is hope.

Do we need to encounter and to experience difficulty before our faith can be truly real?

What times have you experienced when you have needed faith?

Psalm 16 A miktam (Title: Probably a literary or musical term) of David.

1 Keep me safe, my God,  for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;  apart from you I have no good thing.”

3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,

    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.

    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods

    or take up their names on my lips.

5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;  you make my lot secure.

6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

    surely I have a delightful inheritance.

7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;  even at night my heart instructs me.

8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

    nor will you let your faithful (or Holy) one see decay.

11 You make known to me the path of life;  you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Comment:

This Psalm, from the Davidic collection, is one of confidence, perhaps in the midst of crises or alternatively having been delivered from crises.

There is a faith inspiring message to be found:your 

That it is God who provides the means of sustenance and celebration. (V5)

That it is God who gives wise counsel and life giving instruction. (V7)

That it is God who gives gladness and security. (V9)

That from this a path to life emerges.

How has having faith in God helped us as we have encountered and experienced difficulty?

What times have you experienced when you have needed faith?


Hebrews 10:11-25. New International Version

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

16 “This is the covenant I will make with them

    after that time, says the Lord.

I will put my laws in their hearts,

    and I will write them on their minds.” (Jer. 31:33)

17 Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts

    I will remember no more.” (Jer. 31:34).

18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

A Call to Persevere in Faith

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.


How has meeting with others in Christian Fellowship helped us in times of difficulty? 


Mark 13:1-8.  New International Version

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

13 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

Comment:

In response to a disciples admiration of the Temple, Jesus predicts its complete destruction. He warns his followers against the attractions of leaders who make empty promises. Rather than be overwhelmed by what must take place, we are told not to be alarmed- just as joy comes following the pain of childbirth, these earthly pains hold the promise of God’s kingdom to come.

This same hope is found in other readings such as:

Hebrews 10:23

Daniel 12:2

Psalm 16:11

Sometimes it’s hard to find a path through troubling times, and we often flounder in the face of real difficulty. It can be helpful to be reminded that what we are going through almost certainly has been experienced before, and there is much wisdom from those who have gone before us that can sustain us until the light appears once more. 

 

How might we sustain ourselves when we are in the middle of the “ birth pangs” Jesus speaks of?


 

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