Tag Archive for: Catechism

Matthew 25:31-46

St. Demetrios Bible Study

3/22/15

Matthew 25:31-46

Sampson Kasapakis

1) Text: Judging the Nations (Gospel Reading on Judgment Sunday)

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[a] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’44 “Then they also will answer Him,[b] saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

2) Sheep VS Goats Recap: Remember one of our previous bible studies? What does it mean to be a sheep?

3) How do we stay on the right hand side that gets to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven?

4) “Even as Christ is healthy in the souls that are healthy, he is ailing in the souls that are ailing”- Unknown

5) New York City Rescue Mission Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6jSKLtmYdM

6) My challenge to us for the rest of this Lenten season. Change how you see people, not just the ones in this church but everywhere! See Christ in everyone and everything and more importantly allow Christ to come alive within us so when others look at us they may see Him.

Women’s Bible Study

This Sunday “A Devoted Heart” will be gathering to read and study from the Gospel of John, the 11th chapter, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

As we continue on to Holy Week, the raising of Lazarus celebrated on Saturday, April 4th 2015 the day before Palm Sunday, shows the double fullness of the Lord’s Divinity and His humanity.

 

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.  So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.  It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”  Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

 Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,  and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”  Jesus said to her, 

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

 Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

Jesus wept.

 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. (John 11:1-45)

 

This miracle performed by Christ is reassurance to His disciples before the Passion that though He suffers and dies, HE IS LORD and VICTOR over death!

What is it my dear brothers and sisters that you need reassurance from the Lord about today?

Come join me as we discuss and share how the Lord wants to speak continual reassurance to your heart.

 

With love and respect for all of you.

To God be all the Glory,

Helena and Christian 

Matthew 25: 14-30

Adult Christian Education
Rev. Christopher T. Metropulos
Matthew 25:14-30

We must be good stewards- A third parable!
1. Each of us receives talents- what are we doing with them?
Time, Talent, Treasure, Trust

2. Be diligent in our spiritual lives and wait for Christ to return.
3. God’s gifts to us are many- talent was worth 6,000 denarii.
4. Second Coming- Settling of accounts will be done with each person by the Lord.

5. “Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things, I will appoint you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

6. Gifts we receive- are they ours or are they given by God’s Grace?
7. Punishment of not utilizing our talents seems harsh.

Matthew 25:1-13

The Gospel of Matthew

Session 54 – 3/8/2015

Fr. John Codis

25:1-13

Ready or Not, Here I Come!

 

Some things cannot be borrowed, some things cannot be put off, and we can miss out on great opportunities.

Being ready has to do with doing the right things. Actively living in faithfulness to God. It’s more than a name or a title, it is a way of life.

Spiritual readiness, preparation and growth does not just happen at the snap of ones fingers. It comes as a result of one’s intentional habits built into their life.

Do we let our lives control us and let it lead us? Or do we take life by the horns and prepare ourselves?

Make sure you take your bodies to the mechanic and that they fill up your oil tank!

  1. You must be spiritually ready.
  2. No one can do it for you.

The Gospel has encourages us with these words: “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first” (Hebrews 3:12-14). God has made this promise to us: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).

 

Matthew 24:1-31

The Gospel of Matthew

Session 52 – 2/22/2015

Fr. John Codis

24:1-31

The Vision of Things to Come

This chapter shows us the things that Jesus said about the future and give us the vision of the things to come. This chapter comes after the pronouncement of Judgment when Jesus speaks to the scribes and Pharisees.

The Siege of Jerusalem

Christ is speaking about the destruction of the Temple in 70AD. This is what Jesus foresaw; these are the things he forewarned. We must never forget that not only men but nations need the wisdom of Christ. Christ laid down the laws by which alone a nation can prosper, and by disregard of which it can do no other than miserably perish.

The Day of the Lord

God has not abandoned the world and we must not be discouraged at the crescendo of evil within the world. Destruction is a prelude to recreation.

We cannot take the pictures in their details word for word. They are only symbolic and which use the only pictures which the minds of men could conceive.

The basic meaning is this, whatever the world is like, God has not abandoned it.

The Persecution to Come

Christ is brutally honest. He never promised his disciples an easy way; he promised them death and suffering and persecution. The real church will always be persecuted so long as it exists in a world which is not Christian.

Christ offers us the following:

  1. A New Loyalty
  2. A New standard
  3. A New Example
  4. A New Conscience

Matthew 22:1-15

The Gospel of Matthew

Session 49 – 2/1/2015

Fr. John Codis

22:1-14

Who Enters into the Kingdom

Joy and Judgment

The Jews ages ago were invited by God to be his chosen people. Yet when God’s Son, Christ, came into the world, and they were invited to follow him they disrespectfully refused.

  1. Invitation of God is joyous.
  2. Distractions are not necessarily bad.
  3. A sense of loss
  4. Invitation of Grace.

This resulted in God going out to the highways and byways, to the sinners and Gentiles, inviting all by His grace to the Wedding Feast.

The repeated sending out of servants shows Gods great desire to have His people with him in the Kingdom.

We are too often contemptuously refusing Gods call. He always takes a back seat to our lives. Sometimes not out of our own desire, but out of our own neglect. It is the grace of Christ, which allows us His invitation, and we must not make our lives so busy, being preoccupied with things that are seen but to refocus us on things that are unseen.

The Scrutiny of the King

“The door is open to all people, but when they come they must bring a life which seeks to fit the love which has been given to them. Grace is not only a gift, it is a grave responsibility.”

The door is not open for a sinner to come in and remain a sinner, but for the sinner to come and become a saint.

Garment of Mind – Expectation

Garment of Heart – Humble Penitence

Garment of Soul – Faith and Reverence

We need to enter God’s house, His Church, with a preparedness which we lack at times. A little prayer, a little thought, and a little self-examination would go a long way, then worship would be worship indeed!

Matthew 21:18-46

Adult Christian Education

Rev. Christopher T. Metropulos

Matthew 21:18-46

January 25, 2015

  

Israel: The Withered Fig Tree

Christ saw not only a fig tree, but the people of Israel and their Temple. Like the fig tree whose leaves promised food, the outward pomp and glory of the Temple promised spiritual fruit to all the world. But just as the fig tree’s leaves hid its fruitlessness, so the outward glory of the Temple hid the spiritual fruitfulness of the Jews.

Jewish Leaders Question Jesus- An intense, yet brief exchange.

The leaders were furious that He cleansed the Temple and wanted to put Jesus on the spot. They posed the question, by what authority is He performing the cleansing?

Counter – Question by Jesus- the Baptizer and his baptism- Is it from Heaven or man?

We do not know- Jesus refuses to answer their questions.

Sinners Believers

Jesus continues to respond to their question by asking for their opinion.

A man and two children- which did his bidding- the first they claim.

Jesus strong response- “The tax collectors and prostitutes are going before you into the kingdom of God.

Leaders Mistrust God’s Messengers – Parable of the Vineyard

The landowners- the harvest and the mistreatment of those doing the bidding of the owner.

It is reminiscent of God’s response to Israel sending Prophet after Prophet to His stiff- necked people with no response.

The disrespect of the son- who was seen as the heir- they wanted his inheritance.

The Result

The Chief priests and elders listening were horrified at this conclusion, for they knew only too well that they had been cast in the part of the rebellious farmers.The Kingdom of God would therefore be taken from them and be given to a nation producing the fruits of it.

Matthew 20:29-34; 21:1-17

The Gospel of Matthew Bible Study

Outline for Matthew 20:29-34; 21:1-17

Jan 18th, 2015

Sampson Kasapakis

 

The Bible Passage titles for today’s Bible Studies are:

  • Two Blind men Confess Jesus as Lord (Matthew 20:29-34)
  • Palm Sunday: The Messianic King (Matthew 21:1-11)
  • Jesus Purifies the Temple (Matthew 12-17)

 

Think of these questions while we read:

  • How do you feel when people try to talk over you?
  • How do you feel try to suppress your beliefs?
  • When do you have the most compassion towards another?
  • Do we care what people say about us?
  • Can you think of the last time you were very angry?
  • Can you remember how you got to that point?

 

Let’s talk about our emotions:

Love implies anger. The man who is angered by nothing cares about nothing.

Edward Abbey

 

Emotions are contagious. We’ve all known it experientially. You know after you have a really fun coffee with a friend, you feel good. When you have a rude clerk in a store, you walk away feeling bad.

Daniel Goleman

 

“Rather than being your thoughts and emotions, be the awareness behind them.”

Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

Matthew 20:17-28

The Gospel of Matthew

Session 46 – 1/11/2015

Fr. John Codis

20:17-28

Towards the Cross, The False and the True Ambition,

The Lordship of the Cross

 

Opening thoughts and basis for discussion

Christ, although he knew of his passion and suffering to come gave a confident assertion of the Resurrection. There is life after death, after the suffering and false ambitions we place on ourselves. The ambition should be the Christian life in whatever cup that has been given to us; a cup that either has us in a short or long routine of suffering.

Towards the Cross

Christ knew that he had a terrible passion to live through. He was to be betrayed, condemned to death, mocked, scourged, and crucified.

Even through all this, Christ still gave a certainty that there was glory at the end. This glory is the Resurrection of the Son of Man.

We all struggle through life but there is the great crown which has been created for us that is, if we are willing to realize the revelation of the Resurrection

The False and the True Ambition

The disciples show us their worldly ambition. How often do we concentrate on our worldly success? Our ambition is not focused on the cross. The cross is the road to our ultimate life in Christ; that is if we are willing to accept it.

We have the invincible faith and unshakeable loyalty of the disciples. That invincible faith is an optimism when all things seem to be conspiring against us, of the Kingdom and through the atmosphere of our inescapable cross we will reach it.

We all have a cup which has been given to us to drink. We have a Christian life to live by, whether it be in a moment’s notice or over a lifetime of struggle, this cup is our cross, to simply drink the cup means to follow Christ wherever he may lead.

The Lordship of the Cross

“The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many” Matt 20:28. St. Athanasius of Alexandria said, “The Son of God became man, that we might become god.”