Hebrews
Introduction - Hebrews
Hebrews was a much needed wake up call for some Christians. Apathy can overtake us, sin that we used to battle against can creep in and taking up residence. The message of Hebrews is to not drift; hold on tight; fight; run the race hard and steady; go to war each day; strive for the things of God each day. As human beings, we often find ourselves looking for something better. We spend our lives searching for the next thing that might leave us satisfied and fulfilled. Yet the moment we find it within our grasp, we are once again left longing for something better. Every generation looks to the past and the future, certain that anything but what is in the present must be better; yet we find that the longing for something better has always plagued us.
Thankfully, the Bible offers another way; something better that meets our every need and satisfies the longings of our souls. This is the thread woven throughout the book of Hebrews. At a surface level Hebrews can be confusing and a little unclear in its practical application. Yet the resounding message throughout its thirteen chapters is that Jesus is the something better our hearts long for. Hebrews makes it abundantly clear that Jesus is superior to all we might long for, hope for, and seek out for the fulfillment of our souls—superior to everything else. Whatever we might pursue to satisfy our minds and hearts, Jesus is better.
Neither the author nor the audience of this book is specifically named, but the book itself reveals its nature and purpose. The recipients are Jesus-believing Jews who are in danger of falling away from the faith. They are likely in Italy, since the author passes on greetings to them from those who are from Italy—probably their friends who are traveling elsewhere. The goal of the whole book is to show the superiority of the final realities God has revealed in the new covenant to the temporary ones of the first covenant. Its readers are encouraged to respond to the threat of persecution by recommitting to the new reality brought by Jesus.
The book alternates between teachings—reviews of Israel’s history or the temple worship arrangements—and challenges based on these teachings. There are four teaching-challenge pairs:
> Jesus and the salvation he brings are greater than the angels and the salvation they announced (the law of Moses).
> Jesus is our “apostle” (someone sent by God on a specific mission), and he brings us into a greater rest and promised land than Moses and Joshua brought Israel into.
> Jesus is a more effective high priest than the priests appointed by the law of Moses.
> As God’s faithful people have done throughout the ages, we must continue living in light of God’s unseen heavenly realities and stepping out in faith. Through the Messiah we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Paul
the Apostle is thought to be the author. The purpose of the book of
Hebrews is to present Jesus in light of the Old Testament. While the
exact location of the intended readers is unknown, we know the
recipients of this letter were facing persecution of some sort. The
letter is written to encourage and exhort its readers to stand firm
in the face of it all (see 3:6, 14; 4:14; 10:23). Hebrews encourages
us to consider our own perseverance in the faith in the midst of
difficult times.
First Warning: Pay careful attention to
the Word (2:1–4)
The Founder of our Salvation (2:5–18)
Jesus’
Superiority to the Law (3:1–10:18)
Greater than Moses
(3:1–6)
Warning: Rest for the people (3:7–4:13)
Jesus’
High Priestly Ministry (4:14–10:18)
The Call to Endurance
(10:19–12:9)
Assurance of Faith (10:19–39)
A Life of
Faith (11:1–40)
A Kingdom to Come (12:1–29)
Closing
Exhortations & Greeting (13:1–25)
A Life Pleasing to God
(13:1–19)
Benediction (13:20–25)
WEEK 1: The majesty of God's splendor is fully revealed in Jesus - Hebrews 1 (NLT)
1 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.
The Son Is Greater Than the Angels
5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:
“You
are my Son.
Today I have become your
Father.”
God also said,
“I
will be his Father,
and he will be my
Son.”
6 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said,
“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”
7 Regarding the angels, he says,
“He
sends his angels like the winds,
his
servants like flames of fire.”
“Your
throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
You
rule with a scepter of justice.
9 You love justice and hate
evil.
Therefore, O God, your God has
anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy
on you more than on anyone else.”
“In
the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth
and
made the heavens with your hands.
11 They will perish, but
you remain forever.
They will wear out
like old clothing.
12 You will fold them up like a
cloak
and discard them like old
clothing.
But you are always the same;
you
will live forever.”
13 And God never said to any of the angels,
“Sit
in the place of honor at my right hand
until
I humble your enemies,
making them a
footstool under your feet.”
14 Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.
🔎 OVERVIEW
Chapters 1 and 2 are mostly made up of a list of Old Testament quotations. These are used to provide several points of evidence that Jesus is above and beyond any angel. Verses 1–4– of chapter 1 summarize this idea.
Verse 5 cites Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14. These verses highlight the fact that the Promised One is not the same as an angel, but is labeled as the "Son of God."
Verses 6 and 7 portray angels as servant beings. These creatures worship God and serve God. They have a shifting, changing nature, depending on the tasks they are assigned by God. In contrast, according to verses 8 through 14, Jesus is given ultimate authority, and has a nature which is unchanging and eternal. He is not worshiping, but He is worshiped. The distinction between Jesus and these angels is clear.
🔎 THINK
ABOUT THIS
Who doesn’t love a good bargain? There’s nothing
quite like the thrill of realizing you’ve scored a good deal. We
can so love the status that owning nice things gives us that we’ll
even settle for a good knock-off if the price is right.
Not so with God and His redemptive plan. This is no faux savior, hastily thrown together, perhaps looking the part but ultimately unable to stand the test of time. He paid the highest price in full to secure our salvation, choosing to send not just anyone but His very Son. For some of us, familiarity with this phrase can cause it to lose some of its intended weight. Consider the following: who do you love the most? Who would you move heaven and earth to save? Now think of someone you don’t like very much. Yes, we know, that’s not very Christlike, but for the sake of the analogy, call to mind someone who drives you crazy or gets your blood boiling; someone you can hardly stand. Now imagine sacrificing the one you love most to save them. Could you, do it? Could you move heaven and earth for them, trading the one you love most to save your enemy?
When God sent Jesus, He sent Him to save those who hated Him. God didn’t send an angel, or some other created being. He sent His Son. Yet Jesus didn’t consider the price too high to pay. Instead, for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross and all its shame to do the work of reconciling us to God.
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
•
Why
would God choose to speak to people differently in different ways?
•
In what different ways has God chosen to communicate to people?
•
What does it mean that Christ is the radiance of His glory and the
exact representation of His nature?
• What does it mean that
He upholds all things?
• What impact should it have on our
lives knowing that Jesus actually upholds everything by His power?
•
What does it mean that He has “become” better than the angels?
Was He ever ranked lower than the angels?
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
2 Peter 1:21 – For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
1 Peter 1:10-12 – Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
1 Peter 1:20 – He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
1 Corinthians 10:11 – These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
John 1:3 – Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Colossians 1:15-20 – The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
1 Peter 3:22 – Who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
Romans 8:34 – Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
WEEK 2: Apathy and Drifting - Hebrews 2:1-10 (NLT)
A Warning against Drifting Away
1 So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. 3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.
5 And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. 6 For in one place the Scriptures say,
“What
are mere mortals that you should think about them,
or
a son of man that you should care for him?
7 Yet for a
little while you made them a little lower than the angels
and
crowned them with glory and honor.
8 You gave them
authority over all things.”
Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.
🔎 OVERVIEW
According
to the Scriptures, when God delivers a message and it is ignored,
there are consequences. This applies to more than just a
take-it-or-leave-it approach to God's message; "drifting"
from His truth also results in problems. The Greek of this passage
includes terms related both to deliberate sin as well as to mistakes
(Hebrews
2:1–2). Regardless of how it happens, moving from truth to
error never ends well. In the case of this particular message, God
has gone to great lengths to provide proof (Hebrews
2:3–4), so there are no good excuses for "drifting."
After
that caution, the writer of Hebrews returns to the Old Testament. The
purpose is to continue proving that Jesus, the Messiah, is not an
angel. He is superior to angels both in His divine nature and as a
Savior for mankind. The quotations and arguments used in this passage
emphasize the humanity of the Messiah (Hebrews
2:5–18). An angel could not experience true humanity—they
cannot call mankind "brothers" (Hebrews
2:5–13).
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
If you've ever found yourself floating in the middle of a body of water, you know just how quickly and easy it is to be carried away by the wind and tide. Without being properly anchored, we can easily drift from where we need to be. Throughout the book of Hebrews, we find stern warnings against spiritual drift. The first warning found in this week’s passage addresses the influence and impact that other sources can have on our lives; do the voices we listen to and the worldviews we adhere to come from the irrefutable source of Scripture? We are reminded here that the Gospel message comes from the most reliable source of all—the Lord himself. Not only does this good news come from Him but it originated in Him and continues to be sustained by Him to this day. Comfort and confidence are available to us through the storms of life when we place our anchor and hope in Jesus.
The Old Testament is filled with preemptive warnings of the consequences of not abiding The Law, but consider the seriousness of ignoring God Himself; the consequences of ignoring the warning signs given to us via the Gospel are far more severe. God is so patient and kind to us to give us His word to warn us and keep us safe. He knows our hearts are prone to wander and seeks to protect us from our own tendencies toward self-destruction.
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Examine 2:10 carefully. What does it say about Christ? We know that Christ lived a perfect life—one without sin—so how can He have been made perfect through suffering? Skip ahead to Hebrews 5:7–9 for a hint. If you are still unsure how to answer this question, start with what you know it CAN’T mean based on the truths you know.
God has blessed us with a reliable message of instruction from the most trustworthy source and He desires that we listen to it! The Bible can be challenging to understand but we have the gift of the Holy Spirit, who gives us the mind of Christ, and are blessed with endless resources to help us dive in. How do we need to change the way, we approach God’s word?
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
1 Timothy 1:19 – Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.
Galatians 1:8 – Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.
1 Corinthians 15:5-7 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.
2 Timothy 2:2 – In these verses we learn the principles of multiplication and reproduction in discipleship.
2 Corinthians 12:12 When I was with you, I certainly gave you proof that I am an apostle. For I patiently did many signs and wonders and miracles among you.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Matthew 15:1-39 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” …
Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.
John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Luke 10:25-37 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ...
Luke 5:1-11 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ...
Mark 10:17-31 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ...
Matthew 13:1-58 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ...
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 23:1-6 A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ...
Revelation 21:7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Revelation 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
WEEK 3: Able to Sympathize - Hebrews 2:11-18 (NLT)
11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 For he said to God,
“I
will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I
will praise you among your assembled people.”
“I
will put my trust in him,”
that is, “I
and the children God has given me.”
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
🔎 OVERVIEW
This passage of Hebrews not only explains that Jesus was truly and fully human, it refutes the idea that this would be shameful for God. In fact, the way Jesus suffered makes Him a fully perfect substitute for mankind. And, it allows Him to comfort us with legitimate compassion (Hebrews 4:15), as one who has experienced all of the struggles we do as limited people (Hebrews 2:18).
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Have you ever received news—good or bad—that changed your life in an instant? If so, what was it?
Look at Hebrews 2:11–18 and mark all the words that communicate family (take note that sons/brothers in this context includes both sons and daughters or brothers and sisters). Why do you think the author is talking about family?
Why did Christ have to become like His brothers and sisters in every respect?
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
One of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith is the fact that God became man; when we look at Jesus, we find someone who is 100% God and 100% man. The unity of the God-Man is one topic that has been highly debated, studied, and examined since the formation of the early church.
We can often find ourselves in error when we over emphasize either His deity—status as God—or overemphasize His humanity—status as man. While it is appropriate to take time and energy to understand all this entails, the author of Hebrews appeals to this truth as a source of comfort and encouragement to a group of believers who needed it. For we have a Savior who has experienced all that it is to be human—everything we experience. As a result, Jesus is able to serve as a perfect high priest, deeply attuned to the need of His adopted brothers and sisters.
This is the greatest news of all time! Jesus died for our sins! His sinless life is our perfect sacrifice because He was like us in every way. His death set us free from our slavery to sin and gives us new life as children of God. This is such good news and it should change everything we do. Just as turning on a light in a dark room gives us freedom to move about freely, so too does Christ’s death and life give those who trust in Him freedom for our souls.
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 53:3-5 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
1 Peter 2:21-24 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Philippians 2:7-8 But emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
2 Corinthians 1:5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
Hebrews 2:18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple …
John 11:35 Jesus wept.
Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
WEEK 4: Rest for His People - Hebrews 3-4:13 (NLT)
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. 2 For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.
3 But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. 4 For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.
5 Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. 6 But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.
7 That is why the Holy Spirit says,
“Today
when you hear his voice,
8 don’t
harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
when
they tested me in the wilderness.
9 There your ancestors
tested and tried my patience,
even
though they saw my miracles for forty years.
10 So I was
angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away
from me.
They refuse to do what I tell
them.’
11 So in my anger I took an oath:
‘They
will never enter my place of rest.’”
12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 15 Remember what it says:
“Today
when you hear his voice,
don’t harden
your hearts
as Israel did when they
rebelled.”
16 And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? 18 And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? 19 So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.
Hebrews 4
Promised Rest for God’s People
1 God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. 2 For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. 3 For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said,
“In
my anger I took an oath:
‘They will
never enter my place of rest,’”
even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. 4 We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5 But in the other passage God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.”
6 So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. 7 So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted:
“Today
when you hear his voice,
don’t harden
your hearts.”
8 Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. 9 So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. 11 So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
🔎 OVERVIEW
The author of Hebrews captivates its readers as it draws from the history and stories of the Old Testament, illustrating their foreshadowing of Jesus. We see this greater overarching narrative culminating in the person of Jesus, greater than all that preceded Him. In this week’s passage, we are drawn to a connection between Moses, God’s chosen leader for His people of old, and Jesus, the ultimate and final leader to which God’s people look. While Moses led the Israelites in a physical exodus out of Egypt, Jesus leads us to a spiritual exodus out of death into life. Moses was tasked with leading the Israelites into the Promise Land, but Jesus came to bring us into a place of rest for our souls. As the Israelites wrestled with the temptation to distrust the heart of God, we face the same temptation to harden our hearts, and much like the Israelites, often reject His commands, rationalizing our disobedience. The writer of Hebrews pleads with us to enter God's rest, but will we listen to his words?
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
How do you feel when you're compared to someone else? When is it encouraging? When is it discouraging?
Read Hebrews 3:1–6. Who is the author comparing here? What specific trait does he highlight? Considering the audience, why do you think this contrast is so important for them to understand?
What two roles are ascribed to Jesus in verse 1? What about verses 3 and 6?
The author is helping us understand what it means to be part of God’s family, or house. Look for all the uses of the word house in this passage. How many times is it used?
Read Hebrews 3:7–11. This quote taken from Psalm 95 and retelling of part of the Israelites’ journey in the wilderness is used here as a warning for us today. What is the warning? What are the consequences for disregarding this warning?
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
In 1958 the first Tchaikovsky Piano Competition was held in Moscow. A 23-year-old participant from the United States, Van Cliburn, played so masterfully that he received an eight-minute standing ovation. He won first prize, received a hero's welcome back in the U.S., and enjoyed coverage in the worldwide press.
Few people, however, know what Van Cliburn did with his prize, an expensive car. To the dismay of Soviet authorities, he donated it to the only evangelical church permitted in Moscow at that time. Van Cliburn had visited that church for Sunday worship and was so moved by the stories of persecuted believers there that he decided to encourage them in this unexpected way.
Encouraging one another is an important part of our daily walk with Christ. We live in a world corrupted by unbelief, sin, and, at times, persecution. How can we stay firm in our faith? Scripture gives us this recipe: love, encourage, and pray for one another. In God's grace, the Holy Spirit uses these acts of mutual care to see us through the most trying of times.
When fellow believers are struggling, be quick to extend your helpful, sharing hand. Be graceful and generous. Offer words of comfort and prayer, as well as tangible acts of help. Encourage people around you, and be surprised by how much you are encouraged yourself!
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Psalm 95:7-11 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”
Isaiah 11:10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Jeremiah 31:2 Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest,
Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
Exodus 33:14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Deuteronomy 12:10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety,
Isaiah 63:14 Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name.
2 Thessalonians 1:7 And to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels
Revelation 6:11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
Jeremiah 6:16 Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
Hebrews 3:11 As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”
Isaiah 28:12 To whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear.
Nehemiah 9:28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies.
WEEK 5: Draw Near to Find Grace - Hebrews 4:14-5:10 (NLT)
Rest in the finished work of Christ to secure our salvation but do not rest from doing good works in response to this radical grace. Christ worked and then rested. We rest in Him; work for Him and then enter His rest (Heaven). We can approach Him with confidence to receive His grace daily as we strive to live for Him. Hebrews 4:16, "Let us draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace in the time of need."
14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Hebrews 5
1 Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. 2 And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. 3 That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.
4 And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. 5 That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him,
“You
are my Son.
Today I have become your
Father.”
6 And in another passage God said to him,
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 9 In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 10 And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
🔎 OVERVIEW
Rest in the finished work of Christ to secure our salvation but do not rest from doing good works in response to this radical grace. Christ worked and then rested. We rest in Him; work for Him and then enter His rest (Heaven). We can approach Him with confidence to receive His grace daily as we strive to live for Him. Hebrews 4:16, "Let us draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace in the time of need."
Chapter 4 closed with a description of Jesus' connection to mankind. His full humanity allows Him to understand what human temptation is like. So, as this verse continues to explain, He is able to act as a proper high priest. This role requires the priest to communicate between God and men. This includes making offerings for sin.
Earlier portions of Hebrews explained that Messiah had to be human, not merely some angelic being (Hebrews 2:17). One reason for this is the issue explored between the end of chapter 4 and the beginning of chapter 5. In order for Messiah to truly represent humanity, as a priest, He had to be human. Without humanity, He would not be able to sympathize with human weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15), would not be able to act as a mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5), and would not be someone we could approach in confidence (Hebrews 4:16).
The idea of being "appointed" in this verse is important. A true priest is not someone who simply decides to take on the task. They have to be selected for that role by God. One cannot simply declare, "I'm a priest" and make it so. This is even more critical for a high priest, who acts on behalf of all people. Jesus' appointment to the role of our ultimate High Priest will be further explained using examples from the Old Testament, such as Aaron and Melchizedek. This verse summarizes the details seen in verses 4, 5, and 6.
Embracing suffering as the path to obedience is the normal Christian life. Through many trials and hardships, we will enter the kingdom of Heaven. Hebrews 5:8-9,
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Define the word sympathize. Why is it important that Christ was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin? How does this help you understand Jesus as fully God and fully human?
Read Hebrews 5:1–6. What is the role of a priest? Can you think of another way to say, “on behalf of”? a. How does the priest interact with people?
Look at 5:7. Describe in your own words what Jesus did. Be sure to include how He acted, being as descriptive as you can while staying true to the text.
Read Hebrews 5:7. How are we to follow Jesus’ example to “offer up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears”?
What a great high priest we have in Christ! While our sin separates us from God, Christ became fully human, complete with all the gritty difficulties you and I face on a daily basis. Because He knows our experience intimately, He is sympathetic to us. He is also our great encourager. Because Christ was tempted but never caved into sin, we can look to Him as we are tempted, cry out for His help, and find comfort remembering He resisted. How can you take this truth and apply it this week?
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
It’s not uncommon at various points in life to hear someone describe a feeling of detachment and disconnection. It can feel as if there is a large distance, a great gulf in which we are shouting across in hopes to be heard, seen, or even acknowledged. This feeling can present itself within our earthy relationships, but more often these emotions are used to describe our connection, or lack thereof, with God. What’s miraculous about the Gospel is that we are invited and called to freely run to God in the midst of it all. What waits for us is not a cranky or uninterested being, but a God who eagerly seeks to greet us with grace and mercy. Whatever state we may find ourselves in, whatever temptations, trials, or difficulties bog us down, we have a great High Priest who is able to sympathize with us in our time of need and give us what we need most.
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
Matthew 4:3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Psalm 110:4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
Leviticus 16:1-34 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. ...
Genesis 14:18-20 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Revelation 19:14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Revelation 3:15-17 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
1 John 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
1 John 2:1-2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 Peter 2:22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
1 Peter 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:1-25 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ...
WEEK 6: Invitation to Depth - Hebrews - 5:11-6:8 (NLT)
11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
Hebrews 6
1 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. 2 You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.
4 For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— 6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.
7 When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. 8 But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.
🔎 OVERVIEW
The writer of Hebrews wants to give a detailed explanation of how the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ is superior to any other. And, he will do just that, in chapters 7 through 10. For now, though, he pauses to point out that some of this deeper meaning will be lost on his intended audience. In the previous verse, this was blamed on being "dull," which was not a reference to intelligence. Rather, the term nōthroi infers someone who is slow-moving or lazy. The Jewish Christians the writer speaks to have become sluggish and apathetic in their spiritual growth.
In these verses, the writer explains their flaw through the analogy of a child's development. Infants have to survive on milk, because they are not mature enough to process solid food. Over time, however, the child's body grows and they need to move on to something other than just milk. In the same way, a Christian's spiritual growth has to begin with the simpler things (1 Peter 2:2). Over time, spiritual growth should lead a believer to understand ideas with greater substance (1 Corinthians 3:1).
As the writer says, the Christians to whom he is writing have more than enough time invested. They should be able to teach others by now, but instead they are still spiritual infants. Why? Because they have been slow-moving and lazy in their approach to the faith: "dull of hearing." Instead of teaching, they still need to be taught, as if they were only new converts to the faith!
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Why is maturing in our faith so important? Why can’t we just stay where we are? For help, what did Jesus command His followers to do in Matthew 28:19-20? How are these connected?
Where do you need to progress beyond consuming “spiritual milk”? Where are you content to stay comfortable and avoid growth? What does verse 13 say about that?
Read 6:1. At first glance this may seem startling. If you’re able, look up this verse in multiple translations. What differences do you notice?
What is the “elementary doctrine” of Christ? We encourage you not to think of elementary as unnecessary. We go to elementary school, middle school, and then high school; each building on the one before; no one stays in elementary school. Why do we need to move beyond it to maturity?
God created us with lives that bear fruit for his kingdom; that’s really breathtaking if you stop to think about it. He has invited his creatures—you and me—into His plan and He wants us to partner with him! He entrusts us with His blessings so that we can bless others! This truth should create a desire in us to grow so we can share more and more. Whether you have the gift of teaching or not, God desires that we all teach others about His good news (5:12).
What are some things you think will be different as you grow up? Is there a difference between “growing up” and “being mature”?
Verse 14 talks about discernment that is trained. This word for trained is where we get our English word gymnasium. Gymnasts work hard to train for their sport with effort and repetition. In verse 14, the point is to distinguish—tell apart—good from evil.
Progress or growth in any area of life can be difficult to achieve. It doesn’t happen by chance but takes intentional devotion. In the same way, our pursuit of spiritual maturity requires an intentional decision, to seek the transformation that comes from the desire to be more like Jesus. For it is in our maturation that we see and experience more of God’s goodness, love, and wisdom and are empowered to embody His love for others. Throughout the early chapters of Hebrews, we are met with a glorious revelation of the person of Jesus: who He is and what He has done for us. As we consider the original readers, we might expect to see such transformation taking place in their lives when faced with these truths, yet that is not what we find in this week’s passage. In fact, quite the opposite! We find the author of Hebrews pleading with and confronting his readers in light of their reluctance to pursue maturity. The text soberly warns its readers that staying in spiritual infancy is problematic in its own right, but also cautions that this lack of development could potentially lead to a point of leaving the faith all together. This brings the question to us: are we lazy in our faith or are we pursuing all that God has for us?
When believers feel discouraged or tempted to give up on following God, what are some ways that we can encourage ourselves and others to continue living for Him?
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
Pavel, a listener to our Russian programming, first wrote to us about five years ago. We mailed him a Bible and referred him to a local church that he started attending. Just lately we received an email from him saying that he decided to quit his church because “it’s boring.” He still knows very little about Christianity. What a disappointment!
Every pastor or missionary could probably tell a similar story. In today’s verses the author of Hebrews expresses his disappointment with the slow spiritual progress in converts to Christianity. He wants to share an important teaching with them, but he can’t. His readers are not ready to hear this teaching—it will just go over their heads.
Dismayed, the author says that they still need milk instead of solid food. Many years have passed since they first expressed their commitment to Christ, and yet they’re still babies in their faith.
Many of us also “shared in the Holy Spirit” and “tasted the goodness of the word of God” some time ago. But we must ask ourselves, “Am I advancing in God’s grace and righteousness?” Studying God’s Word, praying, attending a local church—these are steps that help us mature in Christ and enable us to switch from spiritual milk to spiritual solid food. Sergei Sosedkin
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
Genesis 3:17-18 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
Matthew 7:16-20 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Isaiah 5:6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
Jeremiah 4:3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
Hosea 10:12-13 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors,
2 Samuel 23:6-7 But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand; but the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire.”
Proverbs 24:30-34 I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
Isaiah 32:13 For the soil of my people growing up in thorns and briers, yes, for all the joyous houses in the exultant city.
Ezekiel 2:6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.
WEEK 7: To the Very End - Hebrews 6:9-20 (NLT)
9 Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. 10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.
13 For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:
14 “I
will certainly bless you,
and I will
multiply your descendants beyond number.”
15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.
16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. 17 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. 18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
🔎 OVERVIEW
We have a strong encouragement to hold fast to the promise of God- His guarantee of an oath and the unchangeable nature of His character. Our hope in Christ is a steadfast anchor for the soul. Hebrews 6:12, "Do not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
Trust is necessary in nearly all areas of our lives. You and I exhibit trust in someone—or something—every single day. From relying on map apps in our phones for directions, to the recipe we follow to cook dinner, we place a certain level of trust in a person or object to deliver an expected outcome. For a relationship to thrive, trust must be given. However, trust is hard to define, easy to lose, and not easily earned. It requires long-term faithfulness, reliability, and steadfastness to ensure trust is kept and maintained. In this section of Hebrews, the author appeals to the trustworthiness of God to inspire perseverance. God’s trustworthy character alone should elicit our trust, but when we doubt, we can look to the stories of His faithfulness—the countless times in His Word we find Him delivering His people. The promises of God’s Word offer a stable foundation for our lives.
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Who did you want to imitate or be like when you were a child?
In verse 10, the author takes a moment to encourage the readers that God sees what they’ve been doing. Why do you think he does this?
After encouraging the audience to imitate the example set for faith and enduring patience, the writer provides an example. What is it?
Read verses 13-17. What is the significance of an oath? Why can the readers place their faith in it?
Does making an oath or signing a contract help you keep your promise? Why or why not? How is it different when God makes an oath? 6. What are the two unchangeable things? (See verses 17-18).
What do you think he wants the readers to know? See verse 20. Who went before us?
In times of uncertainty, we tend to cling to what is sure or steadfast. Where have you turned when life flips upside down? The writer of Hebrews wants you to know that God is the only certainty we have. He is unchanging in both His purpose and character. Because of this, we can run to Him for refuge, knowing He is faithful to do what He said He would. Where do you need to step out in faith, trusting the promises of God? What steps will you take this week? If you’re not sure, we encourage you to ask a couple of people who know you well to give you honest feedback regarding who they see you imitating—are they godly examples, or do they stir up fear, anxiety, and anger in your heart?
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
The writer of Hebrews uses the image of an anchor to describe the confident hope we can have in God. When a boat is in open water, away from a dock, nothing can keep it in place but an anchor. The anchor keeps the boat from drifting off in any direction. No wonder Hebrews calls hope “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” That is what an anchor is for a boat, and that is what hope is for our souls.
Hebrews 6 tells us about two people who assure us that hope in God is an anchor for the soul. The first is Abraham. God promised Abraham land and descendants. Even though those promises were threatened many times during Abraham’s life, Abraham hoped in the anchor of God’s promises, and those promises eventually were fulfilled. The second person is Jesus, “our forerunner.” Jesus ran ahead of us. He ran the race of human life. He ran through death, and he returned victorious to life, rising from the dead. Following in his footsteps gives us an anchor for our souls. Because he lived, died, and rose, we have hope that God will also give us new life after death.
When the waters of life get rough, or when we can’t see the shore, let our hope in Jesus be the anchor for our souls.
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
2 Peter 1:4 By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Psalm 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation
Lamentations 3:21-23 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
Psalm 119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Joshua 21:45 Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
WEEK 8: A Permanent Priest - Hebrews 7 (NLT)
Melchizedek Is Greater Than Abraham
1 This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. 2 Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means “king of justice,” and king of Salem means “king of peace.” 3 There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.
4 Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. 5 Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham. 6 But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. 7 And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.
8 The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on. 9 In addition, we might even say that these Levites—the ones who collect the tithe—paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him. 10 For although Levi wasn’t born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham’s body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him.
11 So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron?
12 And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. 13 For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests. 14 What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.
15 This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. 16 Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 17 And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied,
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
18 Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. 19 For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
20 This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath, 21 but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him,
“The Lord has
taken an oath and will not break his vow:
‘You
are a priest forever.’”
22 Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God.
23 There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. 24 But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. 25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. 27 Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. 28 The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.
🔎 OVERVIEW
Throughout Hebrews the author makes the argument that Jesus is superior to all who preceded Him—from the angels, to Moses, Aaron, The Law, Joshua, and the entire priesthood. This emphasis was due in part to a rise of Christian believers—formerly Jewish in faith—wrestling with the temptation to return to old patterns and traditions. The author attempts to reveal to readers Jesus’ superiority in every aspect to the old covenant; that it would be foolish to turn back, for the former things were there in anticipation of a greater thing to come. The author continues his demonstration by drawing the reader’s attention to Melchizedek, a priest mentioned in the Old Testament. To many, Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness,” is a mysterious biblical figure. Despite what little is captured in writing, this priest-king serves as a poignant foreshadow, pointing us to an integral part of Jesus’ eternal priestly ministry.
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Abraham was highly regarded as the father of the Israelites, if he, who was so great in their minds was blessed by someone else, what does this tell us about Melchizedek’s priesthood?
Why do you and I need to understand that Melchizedek is superior to Levi? What connection is the author trying to help us see between the Levitical priesthood and our own need?
This is a hard passage filled with strange customs and a guy with a weird name surrounded by mystery. Yet his life served a beautiful purpose—to point to something better. God promised Israel to give them a priest like Melchizedek—a King of Righteousness and Peace to be great comfort to them. A new, better priesthood with a new, better promise, leading to a better hope. How does the knowledge that Jesus is “something better” encourage you in your faith?
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
In New Testament times, Psalm 110 was understood as spoken by David. Jesus used this assumption to show that the Messiah at God’s right hand is superior to David and is even the Lord of David (see Mark 12:35-37).
The New Testament explains that Jesus is superior to every hero in Israel. Jesus is not like any Israelite high priest but is more like Melchizedek, who was both king and priest, and is described in Hebrews 7:3 as being “without beginning of days or end of life.” Whereas Adam was made from dust, Jesus is from heaven. “Before Abraham was born, I am!” said Jesus (John 8:58). The gospels describe Jesus as greater than David, Solomon, and Jonah; greater than the temple; and Lord of the Sabbath.
Jesus offers us much more than we can think or imagine. Not only is he our example and teacher; he is our creator God in our flesh. Not only does he forgive our sins; he also buries them in the deepest sea, remembering them no more. Not only does Jesus help us fight temptation; we also are crucified with him and dead to temptation’s power. Not only are we going to heaven; we are also already seated in the heavenly realms with Christ (Ephesians 2:6). Because of his unconditional love, we no longer have to carry our guilt. Because Jesus sits at God’s right hand, every enemy of his and ours is under his feet. Praise Jesus for his countless blessings!
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
Genesis 14:18-20 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Psalm 110:4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Romans 3:10 As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
Romans 2:6 He will render to each one according to his works:
Acts 2:1-47 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ...
Luke 21:1-4 Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Matthew 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.
Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.
Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
WEEK 9: The New Has Come - Hebrews 8 (NLT)
1 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.
3 And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. 4 If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. 5 They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”
6 But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.
7 If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. 8 But when God found fault with the people, he said:
“The
day is coming, says the Lord,
when
I will make a new covenant
with the
people of Israel and Judah.
9 This covenant will not be
like the one
I made with their
ancestors
when I took them by the hand
and
led them out of the land of Egypt.
They did not remain faithful
to my covenant,
so I turned my back on
them, says the Lord.
10 But this is the new covenant I
will make
with the people of Israel on
that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their
minds,
and I will write them on their
hearts.
I will be their God,
and
they will be my people.
11 And they will not need to teach
their neighbors,
nor will they need to
teach their relatives,
saying, ‘You
should know the Lord.’
For everyone, from the least to
the greatest,
will know me
already.
12 And I will forgive their wickedness,
and
I will never again remember their sins.”
13 When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.
🔎 OVERVIEW
A covenant, not a term frequenting conversation today, is a legally binding agreement between individuals. Despite its infrequent use, understanding the definition, what covenants are and are not is vital to grasping the over-arching story of the Bible. Unlike covenants made between humans, when God enters into a covenant relationship with humans, it is one-sided. Only God can initiate and establish a covenant with Himself. All throughout the Old Testament, we find God choosing people—Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, etc.— for covenant relationship, each established with the promise of blessing for the faithful, and curses for those who failed. Time and time again we see humans fail to keep their side of the covenant, experiencing hardships and consequences for their choices. Yet God is merciful and to the reader, it is clear that the covenants offered by God throughout history still far outweigh the alternative, an existence apart from God. And yet God had more for us. This week’s passage in Hebrews illustrates a better covenant between God and humanity, one that is mediated and fulfilled perfectly by Jesus on our behalf.
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Read verses 1-7. Depending on your translation, you may see words like “tent”, “holy place”, “tabernacle”, or “sanctuary”. What is the author referring to? Who serves in the earthy tent? Who serves in the heavenly tent? What are they doing?
Looking at verses 3-7, what is being compared? Why do you think the author uses the word “copy”? What does that tell you?
You may have come across the idiom “every promise finds its yes in Christ”, which is a nice sentiment, but can be challenging to understand when in reality we don’t always get what we want from God. This week’s passage serves as a reminder that Christ Himself is the promised answer—the answer we desperately need! God’s promises to the children of Israel were always meant to find their completion in Christ and meet our deepest need. Do you think of Christ as your ultimate need? Set aside some time this week to prayerfully consider the practical implications of Christ being the fulfillment of your most significant needs and salvation. Thank Him for this amazing gift!
Read verses 8-12. Why does the old covenant fail? Use the text for your answer. What does this tell you about God and about humanity?
Who does God make this New Covenant with? Does this New Covenant apply to us? How do you know? Use any scripture that comes to mind to help you answer.
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
If you walk along a city street on a bright, sunny day, you will come across shadows. The shadows won’t really affect your walk. For example, you can walk through the shadow of a light pole because you know it is just a shadow of the pole. But it does make you aware that there is a light pole near you.
The priests that God ordained under the old covenant served in a tabernacle (and later a temple), that was like a shadow, or a copy, of what is in heaven, says Hebrews. That tabernacle and those priests were there in order to point to the real tabernacle in heaven and the real High Priest, Jesus Christ, who works on our behalf to save us from our sin and gives us new life forever with God.
Jesus represents the new covenant, and his work is far superior to that of the priests of the old covenant. Jesus is the real deal. Unfortunately, people got lost looking only at the shadow instead of looking to the real work of God in their lives and worshiping him as the only true God.
Jesus Christ came into the world so that we would no longer need the temple priests to intercede for us; he himself intercedes for us.
And he has made the perfect sacrifice, providing forgiveness of sins once and for all. Instead of looking at shadows, we are called to look to Jesus. Brian Kuyper
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Malachi 2:14 But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Jeremiah 31:33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Galatians 3:24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
Romans 9:4-5 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Matthew 19:6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
WEEK 10: Nothing but the Blood - Hebrews 9 (NLT)
1 That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. 2 There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. 3 Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. 4 In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.
6 When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. 7 But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.
9 This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. 10 For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.
Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice
11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
16 Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. 17 The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.
18 That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. 19 For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. 20 Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.” 21 And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. 22 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
23 That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.
24 For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. 25 And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. 26 If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.
27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
🔎 OVERVIEW
This life is our opportunity. There is no reincarnation; no second chances to respond to the purposes of God. He appeared once to deal with sin. He will appear a second time to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
At times, The Bible may use language or imagery that cause discomfort for the squeamish or faint of heart. Even those less sensitive might find the sacrifices and blood of the Old Covenant to be uncomfortable—or perhaps simply irrelevant—and therefore warranting exclusion from the text. Whether it causes discomfort, confusion, or is simply deemed archaic, it can be easy to avoid a deeper engagement with these passages of Scripture. In the Old Testament, blood was recognized as a symbol of life and death and served as a sacred substance in various sacrificial rituals for purification (cleansing), consecration (setting aside), and atonement (reconciliation). In this week’s passage, the writer of Hebrews seeks to clarify that, beyond symbolism, there is no comparison between the blood of Jesus and the blood of sacrificial animals. Only Jesus' blood can remove sin and guilt. Only His blood can cleanse our conscience and empower us to serve God. The sacrificial system for God's people in the Old Testament, including its location, all served to point us to the coming better way for man to be purified, consecrated, and atoned for: through the blood of Jesus.
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
You and I may dislike monotony, but consider these words from G.K. Chesterton in Orthodoxy on the topic of the life we can gain from such rhythms: A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again,” and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and have grown old, and our Father is younger than we are. Consider what it might look like to cultivate the practice of mindfully recognizing God in your day to day "mundane monotony"; for in it, you may hear His voice speaking as Chesterton suggests: "again...do it again…"
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Throughout the book of Hebrews, we find the contrasting of the old and the new, the before and the now. We find everything that preceded Jesus to be simply a shadow of something greater to come.
In verses 1-10, what place does the author turn their attention to? Consider briefly reviewing Exodus 25; 26:1-31; 30 & 37.
What deeper realities does the tabernacle point us to? What does the most holy place tell us about the character and nature of God? Why would this matter for believers today to understand?
When we think about the forgiveness of sins found in Jesus, it’s easy to understand its implications for our intentional acts of rebellion. Yet verse 7 speaks to atonement made for the “unintentional sins” of the people.
Hebrews 9 speaks at length to Jesus’ superiority to the Tabernacle and temple—the place where sacrifices were completed. But it also makes a point to demonstrate Jesus to also be a far better sacrifice itself. We’re told in verse 12 that Jesus entered the heavenly holy place by means of His own blood and that the blood of the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were insufficient to provide what you and I need most. What does Jesus’ blood accomplish that these animals cannot?
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
2 Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”
John 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
Acts 28:25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
John 10:7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
Isaiah 63:11 Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit,
Acts 7:51-52 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,
Jeremiah 31:1-40 “At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit. ...
roverbs Who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God;
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
1 John 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
2 Peter 2:20-22 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
WEEK 11: It is Finished! - Hebrews 10:1-18 (NLT)
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
1 The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2 If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.
3 But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,
“You
did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.
But
you have given me a body to offer.
6 You were not pleased
with burnt offerings
or other offerings
for sin.
7 Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your
will, O God—
as is written about me in
the Scriptures.’”
8 First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9 Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says,
16 “This
is the new covenant I will make
with my
people on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws
in their hearts,
and I will write them
on their minds.”
“I
will never again remember
their sins and
lawless deeds.”
18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
🔎 OVERVIEW
Truly believing that God has forgiven all our sins can be one of the biggest struggles we face as believers. Deep down inside each of us fear, doubt, and uncertainty plague us, challenging our confidence that God has truly forgiven all our faults and failures. It is so easy to find ourselves picturing God as sitting in wait, just looking for the opportunity to pounce on our long list of wrongs and unfulfilled rights. Yet this could not be further from the truth! As we delve into this week’s passage of Hebrews, we are reminded of the final words of Jesus on the cross: "It is finished." Our salvation is secure, and our relationship with God restored! We have been gently guided back to the good graces of God. And there is nothing that you or I can do to negate that. How can we be so sure? We're told upon the completion of His work, Jesus sat down; there is no more work to be done. We're reminded that God will remember our sins no more. Do you believe this?
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
The book of Hebrews looks at Jesus’ life from the perspective of the Old Testament system of sacrifices. Today we will reflect on Jesus as the one and only sacrifice for sin.
In ancient Israel, God commanded that sacrifices be made to cover the sins of the people. These sacrifices were symbolic, representing the sinner. By making a sacrifice, the sinner was saying, “I have done wrong and deserve punishment, but please accept this offering in my place.” The Israelites were required to make sacrifices for many things. If they touched a dead animal—make a sacrifice. If they harmed their neighbor—make a sacrifice. If they accidentally hurt someone—make a sacrifice. Making sacrifices was a part of everyday life. Why were there so many sacrifices? Because there were so many sins, and each sacrifice only (symbolically) covered one sin.When Jesus came, however, he gave up his life as a sacrifice. Though he was pure and perfect, he gave up his body in place of all our bodies. And his sacrifice did not symbolize just one man dying for his sin; Jesus, the perfect Son of God, offered himself as a sacrifice for all human sin. And because he committed no sin, Jesus’ sacrifice covered all the sins of all people, including you and me.
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Read verse 1. What does the author mean when he says the old covenant was just a shadow of good things to come?
How would you explain the main differences between the old and new covenants?
In verse 3, the author tells us that the sacrificial system of the old covenant was there to serve as a reminder of sin, not bringing forgiveness of sins, why do you think that is?
In verse 5-7, the author cites Psalm 40. Read Psalm 40:6-8 and compare it with Hebrews 10:5-7. What are the similarities and what are the differences between the two passages?
According to verse 13, Jesus is currently waiting on something, what is it?
Why is it important for us to remember today that Jesus’ saving work is not entirely complete until a future date?
Within these verses (1-18) the author speaks of Jesus’ completed work, His continuous work in sanctifying us, and His work that is yet to come. Have you ever been confused by the different “tenses” of Jesus’ work—past, present, future? What are the mistakes we can make if we only focus on one at the expense of the others?
“Once and for all” is a pretty powerful statement. There’s a level of certainty, security, and comfort found in these words. Very little in our lives can be said to be done “once and for all.” Yet we can rest assured of this: the salvation offered by Jesus is more than sufficient to save; it is eternal in its effect, and perfect in every way. Do you believe this? Do you struggle to believe this? How might your life be transformed if you truly knew that your sins were forgiven once and for all?
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
Psalm 40:7-8 Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
John 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
John 5:30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Jeremiah 36:2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today.
Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Proverbs 8:31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.
John 17:19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
1 Corinthians 1:30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Zechariah 13:1 “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
1 John 5:6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
WEEK 12: Hold Fast - Hebrews 10:19-39 (NLT)
19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
26 Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. 27 There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. 28 For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. 30 For we know the one who said,
“I
will take revenge.
I will pay them
back.”
He also said,
“The Lord will judge his own people.”
31 It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. 33 Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.
35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
37 “For
in just a little while,
the Coming One
will come and not delay.
38 And my righteous ones will live
by faith.
But I will take no pleasure in
anyone who turns away.”
39 But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.
🔎 OVERVIEW
God will remember our sins no more. We can never be more justified in God's eyes than we are now. God has dealt with the consequences of sin through the sinless death of Christ. In response, we are called to hold to Christ unswervingly. We are to encourage each other in fellowship and spur each other on to do good deeds. Hebrews 10:36, "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised."
We almost always express care and concern for the well-being of others. Sometimes this care will come across in a word of encouragement or exhortation. Other times it may appear in a word of warning. For a Christian nothing is more exciting than seeing someone step fully into what God has for them, and nothing can be more heart breaking than watching someone stray. In this section of Hebrews, the author provides all of the above. The writer desires for us to have great confidence in our salvation and ability to connect with God. We are encouraged to use that access to remain faithful, avoid rebellion, and to not take advantage of what great privilege that rests in our possession. While the world around us may guide us towards immediacy and things that are temporal, followers of Jesus will continually look forward to the day of His return, all the while living as if each day may be the last.
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
Some years ago, during an unhappy conflict at work, a wise coworker told me that having things go my way was not the point. Working together to do good things for others was more important. Doing it my way might be better, but not at the cost of accomplishing nothing. Those were hard but encouraging words to hear.
God has great plans for our lives that are beyond our imagining. How surprised we can be to discover gifts we have within us! God seems to use us best in areas where we might think we do not have strengths. That irony helps us see that the work God does through us is his, not ours. Those can also be areas in which doors close and windows open—and we step out on a new path to serve him.
Christ is already the victor over all that is wrong with the world. He invites us to follow him and to challenge each other to leave comfortable habits for new forms of ministry. As parents, we might use the image of holding out our children’s crowns and challenging our children to grow into them. As a church, we can help others see gifts and talents of which they may not yet be aware.
Tell someone how excited you are to see how God is planning to use their gifts and talents in his kingdom. Point out how God is equipping them for service. Encourage those around you in their spiritual growth and ministry! Steven and Deb Koster
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
In Hebrews 10:19-22, the author uses imagery of a curtain being opened to give us access to God. What is this imagery intended to lead the reader to think of? (Consider reviewing Hebrews 9:3; Exodus 26, 36; and Matthew 27:51)
In verses 22-23 we are encouraged to draw near and hold fast to God. In your own words, what does that mean?
What are some of the ways God has instructed us to draw near and hold fast (Hint: consider your spiritual disciplines)?
What are some of the things that prevent us from drawing near to God on a daily basis?
Hebrews 10:24-25 are verses many believers are familiar with for the sheer practical instruction it gives on community life for the church. In your own words, what does it mean to stir one another up?
How do these verses confront those of us who think we can be a Christian while not in fellowship with the church and other believers?
One key truth that can be taken away from our passage is the role and importance of community within our lives. Not merely for the sake of establishing close connections and relationships, but living a life in community provides guardrails for us. When we long to stray, the community is there to keep us close. When we begin to disbelieve, the community is there to remind us of the truth. When we feel weak, the community is there to strengthen us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book Life Together says "The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer". Have you experienced this? Have you given yourself to this? Have you committed to belong in community so that you may experience the joys, protection, and strength of belonging?
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Jude 1:1-25 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. ...
James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Hebrews 6:15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
Hebrews 3:6 But Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.
Matthew 10:22 And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
Revelation 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
1 Peter 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
James 5:11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
WEEK 13: Hall of Faith - Hebrews 11 (NLT)
1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.
13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.
21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.
22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.
23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.
24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.
29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.
30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.
31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death.
But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.
🔎 OVERVIEW
It is impossible to please God without faith. We have faith that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. Faith does not guarantee a life of blessings. Some people receive blessings from God for faithfulness in this life. Others get killed; live in caves; are considered outcasts. God has purposes for each of us, but one thing is certain: He is just. He will right all wrongs in eternity. Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
As humans, we are captivated by a good story—even more so when it's a true one. At any given time in the year, at the top of the New York Times best-sellers list, there will be an autobiography of an important person telling their story. The Hollywood Box office will be dominated by a biopic documenting someone's triumph over tragedy and how it made them who they are today. These stories can give us a sense of hope, a source of motivation, and an example to follow. We've reached the point in Hebrews that many are familiar with, referred to as the Hall of Faith. Within this section, the author walks through example upon example of individuals from the Old Testament who exhibited a life of faith despite the obstacles they faced. By reminding us of these individuals, we are encouraged to hold tightly to Jesus. When we do so, we too will be able to persevere through whatever lies ahead. May this reminder of God's faithfulness encourage us to confidently hold on to God, just like the saints before us.
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Hebrews 11:1-3 provides for us the clearest definition of faith that can be found throughout the entire Bible. How is faith defined? What is the object of faith in this definition
What is the difference between having faith in God versus simply hoping that something will happen?
Throughout the remainder of Hebrews 11, the author highlights how various individuals in the Old Testament exhibited faith by expressing persistent hope in God's promises. How is it that ancient stories such as these can motivate and encourage us in our faith today?
Consider taking time to reflect upon each of the individuals cited in the Hall of Faith. What action did they perform that exhibited their faith? What was the reason they did it (if given)? What were the obstacles they faced? What was the end result? (Note: Scripture references are there to assist! Not every explanation is given, not every obstacle is explicitly stated, nor is every result given.)
Abel (Gen 4)Enoch (Gen 5:18-24)
Noah (Gen 5:29-10:32)
Abraham (Gen 12-25)
Sarah (Gen 12-23)
Isaac (Gen 17-35)
Jacob (Gen 25-50)
Joseph (Gen 37-50)
Moses (Ex 2:10)
Rahab (Josh 2; 6:17-25)
Gideon (Jud 6-8)
Barak (Jud 4-5)
Samson (Jud 13-16)
Jephthah (Jud 11-12)
David (Ruth 4; 1-2 Sam)
Samuel (1 Sam; 1 Chron 6)
🔎 ACTION
Hebrews 11 Review - A life of faith means trusting God’s promises, even when things get hard.
• Jesus is greater than the prophets, priests, kings, and angels. He is greater than Abraham, Melchizedek, Aaron, and Moses.
• Jesus is the better priest that serves with a better (new) covenant and in a better tabernacle (heaven).
• Jesus was the better and perfect sacrifice. The imperfect sacrifices under the old covenant do not compare.
• Jesus’ sacrifice takes away our sin. We can be forgiven; we no longer need to make sacrifices for our sins.
• Jesus’ death and rising again from the dead took away the old covenant and established the new covenant.
• In the new covenant we get a new heart, a new start, and a new part – all we have to do is trust and believe in Jesus.
🔎 RELATED
SCRIPTURE
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing
through the word of Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Ephesians 6:16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Luke 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
Matthew 9:22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.
James 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
John 20:31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Mark 10:52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
Matthew 14:31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
WEEK 14: Endurance Training - Hebrews 12:1-17 (NLT)
God’s Discipline Proves His Love
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,
“My
child, don’t make light of the Lord’s
discipline,
and don’t give up when he
corrects you.
6 For the Lord disciplines those he
loves,
and he punishes each one he
accepts as his child.”
7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. 16 Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. 17 You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.
🔎 OVERVIEW
Embrace discipline as our friend. We have a race to run. Don't ask the question is it sinful? Ask- does it hinder my ability to run my best race? Sanctification is a process that is 100% the work of the Holy Spirit in us. And 100% our striving to be trained well for the race. Without holiness we will not see God. We receive an unshakable kingdom, we must be thankful and worship God with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:1-2, "Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
Living a life with Jesus requires us to go through many things that, if we’re being honest, we'd rather skip. Following Jesus means we may be led to do things were never thought possible or places we never imagined we’d go. As Hebrews begins to make its way to a close, the author includes three different images about the experience of living as a Christian: walking a straight path in pursuit of righteousness, running a race that will require endurance, and accepting loving correction from our Heavenly Father when we stray or slow down. All of these provide an honest, fuller picture that tempers our expectations of what it will be like to be a Christian before Jesus returns or calls us home. We may not enjoy life’s difficulties, but when we look back, we will likely find that the seasons that kept us up or brought us to tears are often the seasons in which we experience great spiritual growth. We know this to be true anecdotally, but this truth is perfectly modelled in the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we keep that in mind for whatever lies ahead.
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
The author of Hebrews equates the Christian life to a race. Do you think this is a fitting analogy? How does that impact the way you view your own relationship with God and spiritual formation?
In the first Hebrews 12:1-3, the author encourages us to keep three things in mind, what are they? How do they help us in running the race?.
In verses 2-4, we find an encouragement to look at our lives in light of something in particular, what is it? What are some practical steps we can take to look to Jesus every day?
What was the joy that was set before Jesus? How can that be said considering it had to come through the cross?
Turn your attention to verses 5-11. Here, the author turns their attention to discipline. That is not necessarily one of our favorite words, let alone our favorite thing to experience. However, according to these verses, what does the presence of God's discipline in our lives indicate about us? According to this passage, what does God's discipline accomplish?
Based upon verse 5-6, which quotes Proverbs 3:1-12, how should we respond to God's discipline?
One of the more comforting facts about the passage we studied this week is the fact that it acknowledges the various trials a believer will experience on this earth. Some of it is in form of discipline from a loving' Father's hands, some is simply due to the weariness of running the race of this life. Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest says the following: We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to receive ourselves in its fires. If we try and evade sorrow, refuse to lay our account with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life; it is no use saying sorrow ought not to be. Sin and sorrow and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Proverbs 3:11-12 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
1 John 4:9-11 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Proverbs 13:24 Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
WEEK 15: Unshakable - Hebrews 12:18-29 (NLT)
18 You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. 19 For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. 20 They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”
22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! 26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” 27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.
28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire.
🔎 OVERVIEW
In Hebrews 12, we are presented with imagery of two different mountains. Which one do you find yourself visiting most often? The first mountain referred to in this passage is Mount Sinai, the mountain on which the law was given from God and the Mosaic covenant was formed. At this mountain, as seen in Exodus 19-20 and Deuteronomy 4-5, God showed His people how to live in the world. As you read through Hebrews 12:18-19, the author uses a lot of imagery and visuals to give the general feeling is intimidation which makes the hearers wish to flee. Fire. Darkness. Gloom. Loud trumpet blasts. The people in the Old Testament were overwhelmed and terrified. We would be too!
The second mountain, referenced in verses 22-24, is Mount Zion. In the OldTestament, Mount Zion is the place where God resides, the dwelling place of the living God. This is where we are invited to meet God. This is where we come to experience relationship and community. We find the peace and presence of God. Which mountain do you find yourself travelling to most often? The mountain marked by doom and fear of what God may do or the mount on which we find the living God calling us into relationship with Him. Which mountain will you visit today?
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
There are certain environments in our everyday lives that come with reasonable expectations of what might happen. When we go to school, we expect to learn. When we go to the grocery store, there is an expectation that we will leave with food or whatever household items we might need. When we go to the gas station, we expect to leave with enough fuel to take us to the next destination. However, there is one place that we may frequent that can inspire varying expectations as to what might happen, or we might leave with: the church. Whatever objectives we bring with us will impact our experience on a Sunday and in a group setting. Our personal purposes and expectations when we enter this space act as a filter for our affections, feelings, and even our own contributions to the atmosphere. What do you expect when you come to church? The writer of Hebrews brings this to our attention by contrasting two places in which God's presence has been found. When God spoke to His people at Mount Sinai, the people trembled and begged him to be silent. When God speaks to us now, through His Word, we can find grace and long to hear more.
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
In Hebrews 12:18-19, what are seven ways the author describes the old covenant and how did the people respond to it?
Reading verses 22-24, what are the seven qualities the author uses to describe the new covenant?
Why is Sinai no longer the mountain on which we are to define our experience with God?
The author of Hebrews was seeking to reawaken some of the believers who had grown apathetic in their faith and worship. How would Hebrews 12:18-29 help awaken some believers? According to this passage, what would a healthy fear of God look like?
Hebrews 12:25 provides another warning message. It should draw our memory all the way back to Hebrew 1:1-4.
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
Daniel 7:14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
Psalm 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.]
Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
2 Samuel 7:16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”
Luke 1:33 And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
2 Peter 1:11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
WEEK 16: Transformed Priorities -Hebrews 13:1-6 (NLT)
1 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.
4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.
5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I
will never fail you.
I will never
abandon you.”
6 So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is
my helper,
so I will have no fear.
🔎 OVERVIEW
Show love to strangers and fellow Christians. Be submissive to authority. Flee sexual immorality. Shun greed. Hebrews 13:5, "Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"
When it comes to understanding what God wants for our live, the problem usually isn't that God wasn't clear enough. The problem often lies in our willingness to listen and obey. Thus far in the book of Hebrews, our minds have been stretched to better understand God’s will, make more biblical connections, and establish a proper view of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. As the book nears its conclusion, we find that the author lists some extremely practical exhortations for our daily lives and community. The premise is this: if all that has been discussed before is true, it demands certain changes in our lives. The most powerful love we can ever experience is the love of God which is freely given to us by Jesus and has eternal implications. Therefore, this love should impact the way we love those who God has placed around us. The question is, are we functioning as a conduit of His great love, or simply serving ourselves in a closed circuit?
day?
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
Our ministry friend Yulia lives in Ukraine. She shared with us how the recent war in her country changed her perspectives on life and faith. One change was an acute sense of God’s closeness. “When you wake up in the morning, you are so thankful to be alive. You know that the Lord is near, and you can’t stop praising him,” Yulia wrote.
The Bible calls us to be content with everything we have. Our family, health, meals we can share with loved ones—and, of course, life itself—all are precious gifts from the Lord. But discontent distracts us from appreciating and treasuring the precious gifts God has given us so generously. Greed robs us of our inner peace and harmony with God. Fears make our faith feeble and our hearts small.
Let’s be honest—we don’t know what the future holds. We might have to go through some painful experiences and difficult times in life. Or perhaps right now you are in a difficult situation that brings you pain, sorrow, and tears.
No matter what happens, we are assured as God’s children that the Lord will never leave us. We can count on his continuous love and care. God is always near. He is our helper and our peace in this perilous and unpredictable life. Sergei Sosedkin
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Read Hebrews 13:1-6 and notice the list of instructions. What is the first instruction given? Why do you think the list starts with this one?
Look at the rest of the instructions given in 13:2-6. Try to explain each of them in your own words. How are the instructions in verses 2-6 impacted by keeping the instruction in verse 1 and using it as motivation?
Read Hebrews 13:2 and compare it to Matthew 25:34-40. After reading this example, why do you think hospitality is so important? How has God shown you hospitality? Who do you need to show hospitality to?
🔎 RELATED SCRIPTURE
Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
Genesis 18:1-19:3 And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”
1 Peter 4:9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Romans 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Matthew 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
Titus 1:8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
Job 31:32 (the sojourner has not lodged in the street; I have opened my doors to the traveler),
Leviticus 19:34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
1 Kings 17:10-16 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’”
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
Judges 13:15-25 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.” And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.) And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching.
1 Timothy 5:10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.
1 Timothy 3:2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
Romans 16:23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.
Isaiah 58:7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Acts 16:15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
Job 31:19 if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or the needy without covering,
2 Kings 4:8 One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food.
WEEK 17: Words to Live By -Hebrews 13:7-25 (NLT)
7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them.
10 We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. 13 So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
18 Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do. 19 And especially pray that I will be able to come back to you soon.
20 Now
may the God of peace—
who brought up
from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the
sheep,
and ratified an eternal covenant
with his blood—
21 may he equip you with all you
need
for doing his will.
May he
produce in you,
through the power of
Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to him.
All
glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
22 I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to pay attention to what I have written in this brief exhortation.
23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released from jail. If he comes here soon, I will bring him with me to see you.
24 Greet all your leaders and all the believers there. The believers from Italy send you their greetings.
25 May God’s grace be with you all.
🔎 OVERVIEW
As we conclude our study in the book of Hebrews, there are two things we hope have been true about our experience. First, that we would understand that the Old Testament is filled with markers pointing us to the salvation that is found in Christ Jesus. That we have learned not to be intimidated by the Old Testament but to see that it offers a richer view of angels, Moses, the temple and tabernacle, the sacrificial system, the Levitical priesthood, and what they are all in service to. Second, that our hope and confidence in our salvation would be strengthened despite the various trials and hardships we may face, just like the original recipients of Hebrews. That we would be a people who persevere, pressing on into holiness, and not being enticed to stray. As we study these last few practical exhortations in how to relate to one another and to leaders in the church, may we receive the prayer the author left with his original recipients: “May the God of peace equip you to do his will.”
🔎 THINK ABOUT THIS
On March 11, 2011, a powerful earthquake struck the Pacific coast of Japan. It triggered a massive tsunami with waves that engulfed entire towns. Over 20,000 people lost their lives, and tens of thousands were displaced.
In just a few weeks the members of my denomination, the Christian Reformed Church in North America, raised over a million dollars to help those in need. Our relief agency, World Renew, used funds effectively, thanks to a partnership with Japanese Christians. Our media outreach, Back to God Ministries International, began producing a special radio program in the Japanese language to bring spiritual comfort to those living in the affected area.
Natural calamities in faraway communities challenge us and trigger all kinds of responses. Some people prefer to do nothing. Others limit their involvement to a pious prayer and theological reflection. Still others start blaming God.
This text explains what our immediate response to a tragedy should be. It’s then that we as Christians are called to do good and share with those in need. We serve and worship a God who always reaches out in love and compassion. That’s why we have to go beyond condolences and kind wishes. If we truly know his saving grace, it is only natural for us to reach out to hurting people with a helping hand and caring heart. Sergei Sosedkin
🔎 QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Read Hebrews 13:7-8. Who are the readers being encouraged to remember and imitate? Why do you think the author encourages them to do this? What does he ask them to consider and why is this so important? What characteristics do you look for and desire to emulate?
Read 13:9-11. What warning is given here? What is the difference between being strengthened by something we do or eat and being strengthened by grace (see Ephesians 2:8-9 for help)? Keeping in mind what you’ve been learning about Jesus throughout this study, why do you think the author gives them this encouragement now?
Read verses 13-16. What are our instructions here? Why do you think these are referred to as sacrifices?
In verse 17, the author circles back to another instruction on interacting with leaders. What reason is given here? When the person being led takes this heart posture, what difference does it make for the leader? What about for the person being led?
Read Hebrews 13:20-21 aloud. God gives us peace with Him through Christ, the better sacrifice, initiating the better covenant. Through Him, we are given all we need – He gives us the better gift, His Spirit, so we can be made pleasing in His sight. Christ is the “something better” we’ve all been looking and longing for. In Him, we can proclaim, “He is enough!” Take time to reflect on the better things Christ is and give thanks to God!
🔎 RELATED
SCRIPTURE
Malachi 3:6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore
you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
Psalm 102:27-28 but you are the same, and your years have no end. The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.
Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 103:17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,
Isaiah 41:4 Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.
Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.
Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
2 Thessalonians 3:13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
Romans 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
1 Timothy 6:18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,
Philippians 4:18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
2 Corinthians 9:12-13 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,
Matthew 25:35-40 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Micah 6:7-8 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Luke 18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
SOURCE
- https://summitview.net/sermon-series/Hebrews/
- https://studyandobey.com/inductive-bible-study/hebrews-study/hebrews-1/
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%201&version=NLT
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