4Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, their brothers—even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. 6This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. 8In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

11If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. 13He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17For it is declared: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

 18The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

 20And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever.' " 22Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

 23Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

 26Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Hebrews 7 A Priest Like Melchizedek

vs. 7:1-22  Melchizedek the Priest

·         Back in Hebrews 4 & 5, the author began talking about how Jesus is superior to the Old Testament priesthood.  Jesus is a superior high priest.  However, this would raise a lot of big questions in the minds of the Hebrew audience.  They knew that the priests were only supposed to be men from the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron.  They knew that Korah and his followers were killed by God for trying to act as priests.  (They were Levites, but not from the family of Aaron.)  So, how could Jesus qualify as a priest?  He was from the tribe of Judah, not the tribe of Levi.  To answer this question, the author goes into a discussion of Melchizedek, a king-priest from the time of Abraham… about 500 years before Moses’ time when the priesthood of Aaron was established.  Now, the author knew that this would be difficult material to think through.  That’s why he took time out in chapter 5 & 6 to encourage the audience to press on in maturity from milk to meat. 

·         The author is making the point that Jesus is our high priest, but He is not a Aaronic priest (from the line of Aaron).  He is a priest like Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a “type,” a foreshadowing of Christ. The author shows several ways in which Jesus is like Melchizedek.  What are they?   

·         2: Melchizedek means “king of righteousness.”  He was also the king of Salem, which means “peace.”  Jesus is the true King of Righteousness and the true King of Peace. 

·         3: Melchizedek is presented in Genesis without listing his father, mother, or genealogy.  This is significant because almost everyone in Genesis is listed with extensive genealogies.  Now, this doesn’t mean that Melchizedek really didn’t have parents.  He surely did.  But it means that God inspired Moses to write the book of Genesis in such a way that it presented Melchizedek without parents or genealogy.  God was behind the writing of Genesis and He was behind the writing of the book of Hebrews.  Even at the time Genesis was written, He knew how He wanted Hebrews to be written and He made sure Genesis was written in the exact way He wanted it, so He could use Melchizedek as a foreshadowing of Christ. 

·         4-10: The author makes the argument that Jesus is greater than Melchizedek was greater than Levi and Aaron.  For one, Abraham, Aaron’s ancestor, paid a tithe to Melchizedek.  Melchizedek also blessed Abraham, the ancestor of the Aaronic priests, and the one who blesses is greater that the one who receives the blessing.  Also in verse 8 the author of Hebrews points out that the Bible is silent as to Melchizedek’s death.  This doesn’t actually mean that Melchizedek didn’t die, but that the Bible doesn’t mention it.  These arguments may seem strange, but the main point that the author is illustrating is that Melchizedek’s priesthood is superior, and thus Jesus’ priesthood is superior. 

·         11-17: The Aaronic/Levitical priesthood was not able to bring perfection, nor was it designed to.  Another priesthood was designed to do that, of which Melchizedek was a foreshadowing.  Jesus’ priesthood is a different priesthood with a different set of requirements; that is why Jesus can be a high priest even though He is a descendent of Judah, not Levi.  Jesus’ priesthood is not based on his lineage, but upon who He is.  It is based on His power and indestructible life.  These verses emphasize the indestructible and eternal nature of Jesus’ priesthood.   

·         18-19: The Aaronic priesthood is associated with the Old Testament law.  The Law shows us our sin, but it cannot save.  (Romans 3:19-20)  However, Jesus’ priesthood is able to save us and bring us to God. 

·         20-22: Jesus was declared to be a priest by an oath from God.  Jesus guarantees a better covenant.  The theme of the New Covenant is something that will be discussed more in Hebrews 8.

vs. 7:23-28  Able to Save Forever

·         23-25: Jesus’ priesthood is superior because it is permanent.   He doesn’t have to be replaced like the Aaronic priests who die.  Therefore, He is able to save completely (“forever” in NASB, and NIV footnotes.)   

·         25; WHO does Christ save completely?  [Those who come to God through Him.] 

·         25: WHY is Christ able to save us completely/forever?  [Notice the word “because!”  The author is giving his reason right here.  You don’t need to guess.  Jesus is able to save us forever because He always lives to intercede for us!]          

·         25: What does it mean for Christ to intercede for us?  Who is He interceding with for us?  [Christ is constantly speaking to God the Father on our behalf.  It is Christ’s ongoing intercession for us that keeps us saved!  Christ made a once-and-for-all payment, but now He constantly intercedes for us for our salvation.]    

·         25: What does it mean that Jesus is able to save us “completely” or “forever”?  [I think this is a strong indication of our eternal security in Christ.  Because Christ will never stop interceding for us, we will never be lost.] 

·         25: Realizing that Christ not only died for us in the past, but that He now intercedes for us constantly, should deepen our dependence on Christ and our gratitude to Him. 

·         26: What are the ways listed here that Christ meets our needs?  What are the qualities that make Him a perfect high priest for us? 

·         27: How is Christ NOT LIKE other priests?  [1. He does NOT need to keep making sacrifices.  His sacrifice was a once-and-for-all sacrifice that never will be repeated, and never needs to be repeated.  2. Unlike the other priests, Jesus did not need to make sacrifice for Himself.  Why?  Because He was sinless!] 

·         26-28: The priests of the Old Testament could not actually take away sin.  They were like signs pointing ahead to the ultimate priest, the Son of God, who would take away sins permanently because of His sacrifice. 

·         Chapters 8, 9, and 10 will continue to talk about Jesus as our high priest.  Make sure to be reading ahead!

 1The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.

 3Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." 6But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

 7For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8But God found fault with the people and said:
   "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
 9It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
 10This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
 11No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
 12For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

 13By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Hebrews 8 High Priest of the New Covenant

vs. 8:1-6  High Priest  

·         1: Why is it significant that Jesus, our high priest, “sat down”?  [The Old Covenant priests were never able to sit because their work was never complete.  Jesus sat down because His work was complete because of His perfect, once-and-for-all sacrifice.] 

·         2-5: What does it mean that Jesus serves in the true tabernacle?  [The tabernacle was the tent version of the temple that the Hebrews used from the times of Moses until King Solomon built the temple.  The author of Hebrews is telling his Hebrew audience that Jesus currently is serving as high priest in the real tabernacle/temple.  The temple on earth was just the shadow of the real temple of God that is in heaven.] 

·         4: This verse is evidence that the book of Hebrews was written before 70 AD.  Do you know why?  [The author speaks of the Jewish priests as still currently serving in the temple of Jerusalem.  However, the temple was completely destroyed in 70 AD when the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem.  Since that time, the Jewish people have not had a temple and have not been able to make sacrifices.  If the book of Hebrews had been written after 70 AD, the author wouldn’t be saying that the priests currently continue to make sacrifices.  Also, he probably would have talked about the destruction of the temple as another reason why the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant.]  

·         6: Jesus is a superior high priest because He is the high priest over a better covenant than the Old Covenant priests.  In verses 7-13, the writer will give some reasons why the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant. 

vs. 8:7-13  The New Covenant

·         What is the Old Covenant?  What is the New Covenant?  How are they alike and how are they different?  (What is a covenant?)  [A “covenant” is a promise or a contract.] 

·         7-9: The Old Covenant was the covenant that God gave to the Hebrew people through Moses.  The details of the covenant are given in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  The Old Covenant included the Ten Commandments along with all the other various command, ceremonies, sacrifices, and instructions that the Lord had Moses write down in these books.  The people agreed to keep the stipulations of the covenant, and God promised to bless them and protect them if they kept it.  On the other hand, the Lord also promised severe punishment if the people broke the covenant.  Leviticus 26 talks about the blessing for keeping the covenant and the curses for breaking the covenant. 

·         7-9: If you read the Old Testament, you see that the people of Israel broke the Old Covenant time and time again.  The people would abandon God, worship false Gods, and do things that the Lord despised.  God sent His prophets for the main purpose of calling His people back to the covenant.  (Bible scholars have described the main job of the prophets as being “covenant policemen.”)  Despite God’s extreme patience with the Hebrews for hundreds of years, they finally reached the breaking point.  God told the people through the prophets that if they did not repent and return to the covenant that He would send foreign nations to invade and destroy them.  This happened first when the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BC, and then again when the southern kingdom of Judea was conquered by the Babylonians in 586 BC.  One of the prophets that God sent to warn the people about the Babylonians was Jeremiah.  And one of the things that Jeremiah prophesied was that one day God would institute a New Covenant with Israel and Judah.  This is found in Jeremiah 31:31-34; the author of Hebrews is quoting from Jeremiah. 

·         Verses 10, 11, and 12 each focus on one specific promise of the New Covenant.  What are they? 

o        10: The emphasis here is that God will put His laws in our minds and our hearts.  The Old Covenant was written on stone (the 10 Commandments; also see 2 Corinthians 3:7-9) but the New Covenant would be written on the hearts of believers.  The prophet Ezekiel also says something similar in Ezekiel 11:19, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”  The Old Covenant was a ministry of death (2 Cor. 3:7; Rm. 3:20) because it showed people God’s high standards and how far we fall short of God’s standards… but it did not change their hearts.  The New Covenant, on the other hand, changes hearts!  In the New Covenant, God does heart surgery on us, taking our heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh.  He gives us a new nature.  He re-generates us, making us born-again.  Because of this new heart, this new disposition that God gives us, we no longer hate Him, but love Him and come to Him.  Without God’s work on our heart, we would never come to Him as our Lord and Savior.  (Side notes: This doesn’t mean that no one in the OT was saved.  God saved people in the OT the same way, but not everyone who was part of the Old Mosaic Covenant was saved, for example, the people from Hebrews 4:2.  Also, this is important because it shows that God can and does change people’s hearts and wills.  This is something important to consider as you think about what it means to have “free will.”  It is okay for God to change your will for the better in order to save you… I am glad He did it for me!) 

o        ILLUSTRATION: Receiving the new nature is somewhat like the liberation of Iraq.  When the US invaded Iraq, they defeated Saddam Hussein’s army, exiled and captured him, and replaced his dictatorial government with a good government.  However, even after the major fighting was done, we kept hearing reports of casualties as terrorists and factions kept waging gorilla warfare.  This is like the Christian life between conversion and glorification.  The major victory has been decisively won, and a lot of good has been done.  Even more, there is now a new government in place.  But, casualties keep coming in as the enemy, now disposed and in hiding, keeps making attacks.   

o        11: This doesn’t mean that there will be NO teaching or telling people about God, but what it means is that within the members of the New Covenant there will be no need to teach each other to know the Lord.  Why?  Because everyone who is an actual member of the New Covenant already knows the Lord!  This verse shows that, unlike the old Mosaic covenant, all the members of the New Covenant already know the Lord and are saved.  If you don’t know the Lord, you aren’t saved and you aren’t a member of the New Covenant yet. 

o        12: This is the promise of forgiveness of sins through the New Covenant… which was put into effect through Jesus Christ… praise God! 

·         13: This verse indicates that we are no longer under the Old Covenant, although this does not mean that God’s moral absolutes have changed.  For example, murder is still wrong.  However, there are some aspects of the Mosaic Law Code that are no longer in effect, such as the food regulations, the sacrifice system, etc.  A good rule of thumb is that if the laws are repeated in the New Testament, after the cross, then the laws are certainly still in effect. 

·         By the way, do you remember what Jesus said as He took up the cup at the last supper?  What did that mean?  [See Matthew 26:28.  Jesus’ blood is the sacrifice that puts the New Covenant into effect.  His death was the price.] 

1Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

 6When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. 9This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

11When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Hebrews 9:1-14 He Went Through a More Perfect Tabernacle

 vs. 9:1-5  The Tabernacle

·         We will watch a short animation showing how God dictated the tabernacle to be built.  The detailed description of the tabernacle can be found in Exodus chapters 25-30.  The tabernacle was the tent version of the temple that was used from the time of Moses until the time when King Solomon built the first temple in Jerusalem.  It was where the presence of the Lord manifested itself and where the priests were instructed to make sacrifices to God.  Unlike the temple, the tabernacle was portable and could be moved as the Israelites moved.  As we will see, God taught the Israelites certain truths through the regulations about the tabernacle, and He also intended it to be a foreshadowing of what the coming Messiah would do one day.

·         3-4: At first these verses make it seem that the altar of incense was IN the Holy of Holies, which would be a contradiction.  The altar of incense was in the Holy Place along with the lampstand and the table of consecrated bread.  However, notice that Hebrews 9:3-4 do not say that the altar of incense was IN the Holy of Holies.  It says that the altar of incense BELONGS to the Holy of Holies.  Although it was in the Holy Place, it was right next to the curtain and was associated with the Holy of Holies.  (Exodus 30:6 shows the close associating of the alter of incense with the Holy of Holies.) 

vs. 9:6-10  The Ministry of the Priests

·         What are some common but unsuccessful ways that people try to deal with guilt?

·         6: The priests ministered in the outer room of the tabernacle, the “Holy Place”, on a daily basis.  All priests, not just the high priest, were able to do this.  For example, read Luke 1:5-13.  Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, was a priest, but not the high priest.  He was selected to enter the Holy Place to offer incense when an angel of the Lord appeared to him.  (But only the priests could enter the Holy Place.)

·         7: In contrast to the Holy Place, the “Most Holy Place” or “the Holy of Holies” could only be entered once a year on the “Day of Atonement.”   The high priest was the only one who could enter.  (There was only one high priest at a time.)  Also, the high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies after going through ceremonial washings, wearing the proper specific clothes, and making animal sacrifices for both himself and the people of Israel.  You can read about these procedures in detail in Leviticus 16.  If anyone else entered, or if the high priest did it wrong, he was instantly struck dead.  The whole point of entering the Holy of Holies was to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the atonement cover (sometimes called the Mercy Seat) of the Ark of the Covenant.  This is when actual forgiveness took place for the people of Israel.  Remember, it was over the atonement cover, between the wings of the angels, where the special presence of God’s glory would appear.

·         7: In Greek, the word for “atonement” or “mercy” in the term atonement cover or mercy seat is the word “hilastarion.”   This is the same word that is used in Romans 3:25 translates as “propitiation” (NASB) or “sacrifice of atonement” (NIV).  Why is this so important?  What is the connection?  How does knowing the Jewish background shed light on the meaning of Romans 3:25?

·         8: How could you use verse 8 to show that the Scriptures are not merely man-made writings?  [Verse 8 points out that the Holy Spirit was the person making these points.  The Scriptures have dual authorship: both God and the human author whom God worked through.]

·         9: What does it mean to truly have one’s conscious cleared?  What causes the conscious NOT to be clear?  [Guilt]  Therefore, the only way to have your conscious truly cleared is to have the guilt of your sins taken away.  This was something that the OT sacrifices could not really do.  (Why?)

·         9: What do people THINK their most important needs are?  Having our guilt taken away so we can stand before a holy God is a bigger need than anything else!  We have technology to solve almost all our problems, but our most important problem is something that all of our achievements can never hope to solve.

·         10: Why don’t we offer sacrifices today?  [First of all, Jesus was the perfect, final, once-and-for-all sacrifice.  Also, notice that verse 10 says that these things apply until the time of the new order.  Now that Christ has brought the new order, the old order is completed and finished.]

vs. 9:11-14  The More Perfect Tabernacle

·         What are some of the principles that God was communicating through the tabernacle and the sacrifices?  [It communicates a sense of God’s holiness.  It teaches that it is difficult to come before God.  It teaches that we must come to God only in the specific way that He appoints.  It communicates that the shedding of blood is required for the removal of guilt.  It taught that God gives forgiveness through a priest or a representative.]

·         In the OT system, God gave forgiveness through a representative.  That is basically what a “priest” is, a representative between God and his fellow man.  Now Christ is our representative.  He lived a perfect life and died in our place.  He was able to be our representative because He has become human.  If Christ had not became 100% human, He could have not have been out representative.  (Read Hebrews 2:17 again.)  But, because He was also still 100% God, His self-sacrifice was more than enough to pay for all of the sins of anyone who will put their faith in Him.

·         11: What does this verse mean?  What does it mean that Jesus went through the “more perfect tabernacle”?  Where is that?  [Remember that Hebrews 8:5 taught that the earthly tabernacle is but a copy and a shadow of the true heavenly tabernacle. The earthly Holy of Holies was where God’s special presence resided on earth.  The priest would enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to make atonement for the people of Israel with the blood of the sacrifice.  However, when Christ died on the cross, He entered the presence of God in heaven to make propitiation for the sins of mankind.]

·         12: The OT sacrifice was a “type”, a divinely planned foreshadowing.  It showed that atonement could only be made by means of blood.  What did the blood of the animal sacrifices foreshadow?  [Christ’s blood which takes away sin.] 

·         12: Before entering the Holy of Holies to make propitiation, the OT high priests needed to become sanctified, or made holy, by the blood of the animal sacrifices.  How was Christ sanctified, or made holy for the purpose of entering the true tabernacle for us?  [By the means of His own blood.]

·         13-14: The OT sacrifices provided a superficial cleaning, but the blood of Christ is able to truly cleanse us.  [Note: The people of the OT were saved in basically the same way that we are, by grace through faith.  Paul makes that very clear in Romans 4.  The Jews were not actually saved because of the animal sacrifices.  They were saved because of the Messiah who the sacrifices represented and looked forward to.  OT believers were saved “on credit” until the long expected Messiah came and finally took away guilt by His perfect sacrifice.  That is why John the Baptist saw Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  (John 1:29)]

·         14: Notice the words “so that” in verse 14.  How does this help us find an application for this passage?  [We should serve God because of what Christ did for us.]

15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

16In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep." 21In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

23It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:15-28 Sacrificed Once

vs. 9:15-22  In the Case of a Will/Covenant

·         15: There are several truths packed into verse 15.  1. Christ is the mediator between God and man.  He “negotiated” the new contract/covenant by which we are saved.  2. God calls those who receive eternal life.  3. The life He gives us is PROMISED and ETERNAL.

·         15: Christ died as a ransom to set us free.  A Greek word for ransom, apolutrosis, was the word used for the price paid to purchase and set free a slave.  This is what Christ did for us.  (It was not a price paid to the devil.)

·         16-17: Technical note: The word “will” used here, diatheke, is the exact same word that is translated “covenant” everywhere else.  The Greeks did use this word to mean “will” but every other time where diatheke is used in the Bible, it means “covenant” in the sense of the Hebrew word berit.   The majority view is that diatheke means “will” here because of the context.  However, other scholars suggest that diatheke should still be translated “covenant” here just like everywhere else.  They suggest that the writer of Hebrews is not thinking about someone dying and leaving a will, but instead he is thinking about the ancient ritual of “cutting a covenant.”  In ancient times, when two people would make a covenant, they would cut an animal in half, binding themselves in oath to the animal saying, “If I break this covenant, may I become like this cut up animal.”  Either way, the bottom line point is that you can’t have a diatheke without death being involved.

·         18-22: These verses talk about the importance of the shedding of blood.  Verse 22 specifically says, “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.”  Why is this so important?

·         The shedding of blood signified death.  When we talk about being saved by the blood of Christ, we mean that we are saved by the suffering and death of Christ.  It wouldn’t have been good enough for Him merely to give blood at the Jerusalem blood bank in order to save us!

·         22: What would you say to someone who said that Christians shouldn’t talk about the blood of Christ because it is disgusting and horrible?  

vs. 9:23-28  Sacrificed Once

·         23-24: Christ’s sacrifice is what keeps believers from defiling heaven when we get there. 

·         25-26: AGAIN the author is making the point that Christ’s death was a once and for all sacrifice.  This is important because one of the main issues that the reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin had against the Roman church was over the Catholic mass.  By the middle ages, the Lord’s Supper had transformed into the “mass” and it was believed that the bread and the wine were the literal, not symbolic, body and blood of Christ.  It was also taught that each time the mass was performed, Christ was being re-sacrificed!  When theologians such as the reformers went back to Scripture and read Hebrews, they became convinced that this teaching was wrong and tried to reform the church from these practices.  (But, they were excommunicated, and thus the protestant denominations were formed.)

·         25-26: Do you think it makes a difference if you believe that Christ died a once-and-for-all sacrifice, or if you believe that He is re-sacrificed over and over again?

·         27-28: The main point of 27 & 28 is that just like we die ONCE, Christ died ONCE. 

·         27: What truths about human death can you learn from verse 27?  What are applications from these truths?  Do they matter?

o        We all will die. 

 §         Application: We shouldn’t pretend like we will live forever.  We should prepare for the inevitable.  (Okay, there are a few exceptions, but they prove the rule: Enoch, Elijah, people raptured….)

o        We will each only die ONCE. 

 §         Application: Reincarnation is not Biblical!  You only go around once.  Don’t think that you have other lives to do better!  (Okay, Lazarus and people that Christ raised from the dead are exceptions.)

o        We have an APPOINTED TIME when we will die.  Who schedules this appointment?  [God!]  (Psalm 139:16; Job 1:21; John 21:19-22.)

 §         Application: Being healthy is good, but you can’t make yourself live forever.  We will each die “on time.”  Ultimately, it is not under our control.

§         Application: We can have a sense of security knowing that God is in control of when we die!  A missionary named Henry Martyn said, “If [Christ] has work for me to do, I cannot die.” 

§         Application: There is a growing number of Bible teachers who teach “open theology.”  Openness theologians teach that God does not know the future and is not in complete control of events.  Therefore, things do take God by surprise.  One Openness theologian writes about how his brother died in a COMPLETELY meaningless traffic accident.  God was not in control of when his brother died.  He “feels our pain,” and didn’t want it to happen, but there wasn’t anything he could do.  What do you think about this?  How will this thinking affect the church as more and more people believe it?

o        We “survive” death, for good or bad.  We don’t cease to exist when we die.  How should that thought alone change your worldview?  (How does it affect people’s worldviews to believe that once you die… you’re gone?) 

§         Application #1: Suicide is not an escape.   

§         Application #2: We will live much longer in the afterlife, therefore even if you suffered terribly your whole life, it would be worth it if it brings good for you in the afterlife.  Remember, when God says “all things work together for the good of those who love Him” He is looking at it from the big picture.  So should we!  “Just one life, will soon be passed.  Only what’s done for Christ will last.” 

o        After this death, we will each be judged.   

§         Application #1: Are you living your life knowing that God will judge you for how you used each moment and opportunity?  What would you have done differently today if you knew this was your last day before you faced judgment?  Your decisions in life will echo through eternity.  Remember Jim Elliot’s words, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose.”   

§         Application #2: You will not have the opportunity to make last-second decisions after you die.  After death there are no second chances.  (Read the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31.) 

·         28: What can you learn about Christ and His second coming from verse 28? 

o        Christ died once for sin, and never needed to be sacrificed again. 

o        The PURPOSE for Christ’s death was to “bear the sins of many.”  He took our guilt on Himself on the cross. 

o        He IS coming back!  Count on it.  (And things are going to be VERY different when He does!  Everything that seems so very normal now, will seem utterly out of place.) 

o        When He comes back, it will be in a different way and a different purpose, not to suffer for sin. 

o        We should eagerly await Him!  (Why?)

1The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7Then I said, 'Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God.' " 8First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). 9Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

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

15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:  16"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord.  I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." 17Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." 18And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

Hebrews 10:1-18 Once and For All 

In many ways this passage is a repeat and summary of the same points from chapters 7-9.  It is important to cover, because we want to stress the importance of ALL Scripture, and because God has His strategic purposes for having this portion of Scripture written.  The material from chapters 7-10 was difficult… the writer of Hebrews acknowledged that in 5:11-6:3!  Therefore it makes sense that the author would give a recap of the information and a summary.  One thing we can learn from this is that we also should make sure that we are doing everything we can to COMMUNICATE God’s truth effectively.  Our goal is not to be “novel” each week.  Our goal is to make sure God’s truth GETS ACROSS.  Hebrews is an example to us that we need to repeat and emphasize the main themes of Scripture.  God obviously knew it was important to get it through our thick skulls that Jesus’ sacrifice was a once-and-for-all perfect sacrifice!  He repeats it a lot!  (I am tempted to make the students go through Hebrews and count how many times this is taught!)  There is an important lesson here about how to study the Bible: when God keep hitting a point… He thinks it is important!  So should we. 

vs. 10:1-18  Christ’s Sacrifice Once-And-For-All

·         1: What does the author of Hebrews mean when he used the term “the law” here?  [He doesn’t mean the laws of the government; He is referring to the Law of Moses.  The Bible often refers to the five books of Moses, where the Old Covenant is described, as “the law.”  So, “the law” means the old covenant.] 

·         1: The author is repeating the point that the old covenant (the law) was merely a shadow.  The reality came in Jesus.  For this reason it can’t really solve the sin problem.   

·         2-4: Explain the logic of this passage?  The logic here is if it could take away sin, then they would have stopped offering sacrificed.  They didn’t stop offering sacrifices.  Therefore, we know that these sacrifices did not take away sin! 

·         5-10: Therefore, in reference to the incarnation (Jesus’ coming into the world as a human) he said that the sacrifices of the Old Covenant were NOT what would really satisfy God.  But in the way that the author of Hebrews presents this passage, what REALLY satisfied God’s requirement?  [The perfect sacrifice of Jesus!  That is why He came.]   

·         11-14: The fact that the priests offer their sacrifices over and over shows that it is incomplete.  However, Jesus’ one sacrifice takes away sin and gives us perfect righteousness in the eyes of God.  Therefore, Christ sat down because the work is finished.   

·         12: The author to the Hebrews is going to great lengths to stress that Christ’s sacrifice is a complete one-time action.  In addition to Hebrews 10:12, take a look again at these verses: Heb. 7:27; Heb. 9:12; and Heb. 9:25-28.  Now compare and contrast these teachings of Scripture with this quote from John Anthony O’Brien in The Faith of Millions:  The Credentials of the Catholic Religion: 

“When the priest announces the tremendous words of consecration he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the victim for the sins of man.  It is a power greater than that of saints and angels, greater than that of seraphim and cherubim.  Indeed it is greater even than the power of the Virgin Mary.  While the Blessed Virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal victim for the sins of man, no one, but a thousand times.  The priest speaks and lo Christ the eternal and omnipotent God bows His head in humble obedience to the priest’s command.  Of what sublime dignity is the office of the Christian priest who is thus privileged to act as the ambassador and vice-gerent of Christ on earth.  He continues the essential ministry of Christ.  He teaches the faithful with the authority of Christ.  He pardons the penitent sinner with the power of Christ.  He offers up again the same sacrifice of adoration and atonement which Christ offered on Calvary.  No wonder that the name which spiritual writers are especially fond of applying to the priest is that of ‘alter Christus’ for the priest is and should be another Christ.” 

·         14: Is there a contradiction here in verse 14?  Are believers already “made perfect” or are we in the process of “being made holy?”  This verse says both.  How can that be?  [We are legally made perfect the moment we are born again.  Because Christ’s righteousness is credited to our account, God considers us “perfect.”  However, the Christian life is also a life-long process of rooting sin out of our lives and becoming more Christ-like.] 

·         15-18: The author repeats the points about the New Covenant to re-emphasize the fact that the Scripture predicted another covenant to come and do what the Old Covenant could not… actually take care of the sin problem. 

·         Assignment for two weeks: read 10:19-39; it starts with the word “therefore” which tells us that this is the APPLICATION of what we have been learning so far.  It is the “SO WHAT” section. 

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

Hebrews 10:19-25 So We Can Draw Near and Not Be Destroyed

vs. 10:19-25  Therefore… let us…

·       19: THEREFORE is the word in the NIV that starts this section.  That word indicated that this part is going to be the application, the “so what” about what was just written.  The past few chapters have shown how Jesus is our great high priest who makes it possible for believers to come to God’s holy presence through the perfect once-and-for-all sacrifice of His blood.   Now, we will see four ways how we are to apply this to our lives.  Notice the phrase “let us” that keeps getting repeated in verses 22-25. 

·       22: LET US draw near to God with a sincere heart with in full assurance of faith.  Why can believers draw near to a holy God?  What would happen if someone came into God’s presence without Christ’s blood applied to them?

·       23: LET US hold unswervingly to the hope we possess.  Why?  Because He who promised it is faithful!  If God wasn’t faithful, we could have no hope.  Our hope rests on God’s promise and His character.  Without that, what hope would we have?  (Remember, Biblical hope is a certain-hope, not a “I hope so” type of hope.)

·       24: LET US consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds.  Christians are called by God to “spur” one another.  What is a spur?  What is it for?  (It is used to poke a horse to make it move.)  Therefore, what does it mean to spur one another on to love and good deeds? 

·       25: LET US not give up gathering together, but on the contrary, make it a point to encourage one another!  This means that believers are supposed to be in contact with other Christians.  Part of this means going to church, but it is more than that.  Just going to church isn’t enough.  We need to actively seek to be good influences to one another.  What does it mean to encourage each other?  Does it just mean to build each other’s self esteem?  No.  It actually doesn’t mean that at all.  To encourage each other means to fill each other with courage to follow God, even when it is hard!

·       Dumb joke: This paragraph would make a good salad.  Why?  Because there is a lot of “let us.” 

·       Notice that verse 24 says we are supposed to CONSIDER HOW we are to spur each other on.  WE are being commanded to come up with a strategy to do this.  God is not only telling us to do it, but to spend mental energy figuring out the best ways to do this!  Take some time to think through some ways how we should spur one another to love and good deeds!  But remember, this is something you should do all the time, not just for 10 minutes in a Bible Study!  (How does the author of Hebrews do it?  For one, he keeps reminding the readers about the supremacy of Christ.  He also keeps reminding the readers about Biblical examples of failure and success.) 

·       Another observation: Churches sometimes spend a lot of time making people “comfortable.”  Now, that might be okay in a sense, but is it really God’s highest value for us to be “comfortable?”  No!  God often wants us to be uncomfortable!   How does a “spur” help a horse move?  By making them uncomfortable.  If we are comfortable, we will never move!  If you are comfortable, you are content to stay right where you are.

·       Verse 25 says that we should encourage one another all the more as we see the Day approaching.  What is “the Day?”  Why should that make us encourage one another more and more?  [“The Day” is the day of Christ’s literal and physical return to this earth.  This should prompt us for several reasons: The things that are important today won’t be in “the Day.”  The Day could happen at any time, so time is short.  We can be encouraged in times when living for Christ is hard, because on the Day Christ will return to rescue His people.]  Illustration: In The Two Towers, Helm’s Deep was about to be overrun, but Aragorn remembered that Gandolf would be returning at the break of dawn.  Focusing on this, he built up courage in Theoden, the King of Rohan, and they charged into battle, renewing courage in the rest of the troops.  This is a great illustration of the way we are supposed to encourage one another all the more as we see the Day approaching!

26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 10:26-31

COMING SOON

I highly recommend John Piper's sermon on this passage.  

Woe to Those Who Trample the Son of God

To listen to the message, go to the above link and and click "listen"  It is a very powerful and sobering message.

³²Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. ³³Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. ³⁵So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. ³⁸But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." ³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

¹Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ²This is what the ancients were commended for.

Hebrews 10:32-11:2 Faith that Perseveres, part 1

vs. 10:32-39  Remember your former endurance in suffering

·         Before we move on to Hebrews 11, we need to finish chapter 10.  We need to see the link between what was written in chapter 10 and what we will read in chapter 11 about faith.  Remember, the chapter divisions was not in the original text of this letter.  It was meant to be read all at once.  After writing about Jesus as our high priest, the author again prods his readers to persevere in their Christian walks.   Because of what they know about Jesus as their high priest they can draw near to Him with confidence (Heb. 10:19-22.)  We are to fill each other with courage to live for Christ (10:24-25.)  If anyone turns back from God they will suffer terrible consequences (10:26-31.)  Now, in 10:32-39, the writer refreshes their memories of a time when they really sacrificed a lot because of their future-looking-faith.  They were able to make the right choices, even though it meant persecution and having their property confiscated.  They were able to do this because they looked ahead to the better promise from God that eclipsed the promise of satisfaction found in this world.  And that is what the Old Testament examples in chapter 11, the hall of faith, are all about.  All of Hebrews is about being spurred on to perseverance!

·         Imagine that government officials storm into the church right in the middle of Bible Study and seize three members of your Bible Study group.  After being beaten, they are taken to prison.  Now, this prison isn’t one of our nice modern prisons, but something like a large pit in the middle of a fortress.  Also, in this prison the prisoners are not fed.  It is up to friends and family members to bring food to the prisoners.  Now, the people from your group don’t have other family to bring them food, so it is up to you.  You also remember things that Jesus taught about remembering those in prison and caring for them.  This is exactly what He was talking about.  However, if you go to prison to take them food, you put yourselves in danger because then the authorities will probably figure out that YOU are a Christian or a Christian sympathizer.  This could get you thrown in prison and/or have your property taken.  What do you do?  This was the situation that these Hebrew Christians had found themselves in.  What does it seem that they did?   (IDEA: Before you give this example, draw straws or something similar to determine which members of the group are taken to prison.  It might help make the situation even more real.)

·         The writer of Hebrews reminded his readers of their better days in order to fill them with courage.   They endured once before; they can do it again!

·         What kind of “persecution” is there at your school/college/work?  How can your Christianity have negative consequences in these areas? What about with your circle of friends, or people you want to be friends with?  How would those situations be affected if you REALLY started living for Christ?

·         The Hebrew Christians were able to endure sufferings because they knew had “better and lasting possessions.”  What does that mean?  How does believing that make someone endure?  How would not focusing on our better and lasting possessions cause someone to not endure?  (Talk about the words “better” and “lasting.”  Why are they important?)  Notice… they didn’t just have their property seized- they accepted it with joy!  This will not happen unless you have a Christian worldview!

vs. 11:1-2  Faith

·         1: Now, based on what the flow of thought from chapter 10, what does verse 11:1-2 mean?

·         1: Many people think that true faith is “blind faith.”  Do you agree?  Is faith a mere leap in the dark without evidence?  Why or why not?  How does the context of chapter 10 shed light on the meaning of faith?  [Biblical faith is NOT blind faith.  It is not faith without evidence.  Biblical faith is trust that is based on what God has revealed.  It is based on God’s promise.  It is based on God’s character and reputation.  It is based on what we know about God from how He has revealed Himself to us.]

·         1: But, doesn’t verse 1 say that faith is being certain of things we don’t see?  Doesn’t that mean that it is faith without evidence or support?  [No.  That is taking this verse out of context.  In 10, the Hebrew Christians were able to joyfully accept their property being seized for the sake of Christ because they knew that they would receive better and more lasting happiness from God.  However, this was something future, not something that had right then and there!  Think of this… when you work at a job, you endure something you probably don’t want to do.  Why?  Because you are looking ahead to the payoff you are promised to receive!  In a similar way, if we have a Christian Worldview, and if God is our highest treasure, we should be willing to make huge sacrifices in this life- joyfully- because we know that they payoff in eternity will be overwhelmingly worth it!   (Note: However, we do not earn this reward like we earn our pay from a job.)

·         1: Remember, Biblical hope is certain-hope, not “I-hope-so” hope. 

·         The two descriptions of faith in verse 1 are parallel to each other.  One sheds light on the other.  To be “sure” is basically the same as to be “certain.”  In Greek, the word of “sure” has to do with the reality of the thing we are hoping for.  The word “certain” has to do with the proof of what we do not see.  The NASB translates the word “conviction”  It means that we are convinced about what we do not yet see.  Thus faith is confidence in God’s promise for the future.

·         2: In the rest of Hebrews 11, we will look at some Old Testament characters who are huge example of what it means to live by confidence in God’s promise.  Read about them ahead of time!  The writer to the Hebrews knew that his readers already knew these stories well!  Learn these stories ahead of time so that the book of Hebrews can make the biggest impact on you, helping to spur you to persevere in faith!  (Read about Abraham for next time; Genesis 12-25.)

·         Faith is trusting the giver of the promises (God) to such an extent that the things promised are just as real to you as if you could already reach out and touch them.  (And therefore LIVING YOUR LIFE as if those promises are true.)

·         What are some ways that living by confidence in God’s promise will help you to live life joyfully this coming week?

·         What are ways that you can strengthen your faith… and the faith of your brothers and sisters in Christ? 

³By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. ⁴By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. ⁵By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. ⁷By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹²And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. ¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. ¹⁷By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." ¹⁹Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. ²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. ²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. ²²By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

Hebrews 11:3-22 The Hall of Faith

vs. 11:3-7  By faith…

·         3: Creation- By faith we know that God created the world out of nothing.  (The theological phrase for this is creation ex nihilo… creation “out of nothing.”  It means that God did not use self-existing material to create the world.  Only God is eternal, not matter.)   Since we obviously were not around when this happened, we can only know this by trusting God’s revelation about this.

·         4: Abel- Abel (Genesis 4) was the son of Adam and Eve who was killed by his brother Cain.  Cain and Abel had each offered sacrifices to God.  Cain’s sacrifice was “fruits of the soil” and Abel brought “fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.”  The Lord looked with favor on Abel’s sacrifice but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor.  Why do you think the Lord did not look on Cain’s sacrifice with favor?  [The bottom line, according to Hebrews 11:4, is that Abel’s sacrifice was by faith and Cain’s was not.  Cain’s sacrifice of crops might have been acceptable if only he had offered it with faith.  Other Bible scholars suggest that Cain’s sacrifice was rejected because it was without blood, and “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22).  According to this view, God probably told Cain and Abel the type of sacrifice that He required, but because of unbelief Cain offered a bloodless sacrifice instead.  A blood sacrifice is needed to foreshadow the blood of Jesus.]

·         5: Enoch (Genesis 5) is one of two people recorded in the Bible who never experienced death. The other was Elijah. 

·         6: Can you please God without faith?  Why not?  What does this verse mean?

·         6: Someone might read verse 6 and say, “This verse means that if a skeptic is searching for God, God will save him even if he never specifically comes to Jesus.”  Another might even suggest that it isn’t even necessary to believe in God, as long as the person was “searching.”  Do you think this verse could mean that?  [No.  First, it isn’t enough to simply “search” for God without believing in Him.  Notice that the first requirement for pleasing God is believing that He exists!  So, whatever “searching” means, in context it does not mean searching to find out if God exists.  To please God, you need to (1) believe that He exists, and (2) draw near to Him!  The work for “seek” is the same root word that is translated “draw near” in 10:22!  We have to draw near to God the only way we can, through confidence in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  We are to draw near/approach/seek God just as the heroes of Hebrews 11 did.]

·         7: Noah- Noah trusted God’s word.  If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have built the ark!  Why spend year and years building a giant boat on dry land unless you trust that God is telling you the truth about the coming flood!

vs. 11:8-22  Abraham

·         8-10: How did Abraham show his trust in God in these verses?

·         10: What does it mean that he was looking forward to the city… whose architect and builder is God?  How should we do the same thing?  [Remember, faith is trusting God’s promises to the point that you are willing to go through hardship in this life because you are sure that living for God is worth it!  Thus, having faith makes us free to take risks for God.  It also gives us the motivation to deny ourselves many “good” things because we trust God for BETTER things… both in this life and the next.  For example, Christians should have the faith to trust God to wait until marriage to have sex.  Why?  Why miss out on the fun?  Because you trust God that His way really is better!  Other examples?]

·         11-12: Why did it take faith for Abraham to trust God to give him a son?  [Because Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 (I believe) and they had never been able to have any children together up until that time!] 

·         11-12: God promised Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son, even in their old age.  Not to be crass, but do you think they had sex?  There are two ways of looking at God’s promise… On one hand, they could say, “God promised us; that means we don’t have to do a thing.”  Or, they could say, “God promised us; that means that this will work when we do what we need to do!”  I think the second way is correct.  Trusting God’s promise is what encourages us to do what we need to do. 

·         13-16: Are you “longing for a better country?”  Why not?  (This doesn’t mean a better America.  It means that you consider yourself a stranger in this world.  This isn’t your final home; you’re just passing through.)

·         13-16: There are some pastors and teachers that have been on a big kick lately to make the point that God wants to bring His kingdom into THIS world.  They say that Christians are too other-world-minded.  Do you agree?  Are Christians “so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good”?  [Personally, I think most Christians are too this-world-minded.  Honestly, I don’t think a person can possibly be too heavenly minded!  If we have the correct understanding, like the examples in Hebrews 11, our faith in God’s future promises will produce incredible results in our lives and in the world around us.  Like C.S. Lewis said, “Aim for earth and that’s all you get.  Aim for heaven and you get earth thrown in.”  (That is not an exact quote.)]

·         17-19: Abraham trusted God’s promise so much that when God told him to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham was willing to do it.  Why?  [He still firmly believed that God would keep His promise to give him many descendants through Isaac.  Therefore, Abraham reasoned that God would raise Isaac from the dead!]

·         By the way, was Abraham’s faith “blind faith”?  [No.  God told him these promises directly.  He placed his trust in God’s promises even though he could not yet see what was promised.]

²³By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.  ²⁴By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. ²⁵He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. ²⁶He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. ²⁷By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. ²⁹By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. ³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. ³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

³²And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. ³⁷They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. ³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. ⁴⁰God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 11:23-40 The Hall of Faith

vs. 11:23-31  Moses and others

·         23-29: What are examples of faith from the life of Moses?  WHY are these things examples of faith?

·         25: Meditate on, “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.”   (That is a good verse to memorize.)  What are aspects of this verse that you could apply to your life? 

·         26: Verse 26 is another great one to memorize and spend a long time meditating on.  (Try doing this through the next week.)  What are keys from this verse about living for Christ? 

·         26: What does it mean to make Christ your treasure?  What are come of the choices that someone your age faces that show what your treasure really is?

·         26: Verse 26 says that Moses looked-ahead to his reward.  Remember how we described faith two weeks ago: “Faith is trusting the giver of the promises (God) to such an extent that the things promised are just as real to you as if you could already reach out and touch them.”  Does verse 26 seem to back this up?

·         27: Moses “saw” the invisible God.  What does this mean?

·         28: How was the Passover an act of faith?  [They had to believe what God had said about being saved from the destroyer of the firstborn.  They had to apply the blood of the lamb to the doorframe of their house.  Anyone who did not do this was not spared from the angel of death.  This required faith because they had to trust God’s promise for their salvation."]

·         29-31: How do the people in these verses illustrate faith?

vs. 11:32-40  What More Shall I Say?

·         32-38: What are some of the things that these Old Testament heroes ACCOMPLISHED because of their faith in the promises of God?  [They (1) conquered kingdoms, (2) rules with justice, (3) received what was promised, (4) shut the mouths of lions, (5) quenched the flames, (6) escaped death by the edge of the sword, (7) their weakness was turned to strength, (8) they became strong in battle and put their enemies to flight, (9) received their enemies back from the dead.]  

·         32-38: What are some of the things that these Old Testament heroes ENDURED because of their faith in the promises of God?  [They were (1) tortured, (2) faced jeers, (3) faced flogging, (4) chained and put in prison, (5) stoned, (6) sawed in two, (7) killed by the sword, (8) they lacked normal clothing and possessions, (9) lack of normal and stable dwelling places.]

·         What are some things that you are willing to endure because of your faith in God?  (Why do we so often fail to endure the hard things for God?  Why do so many Christians take the easy way in life without even thinking about God?)

·         What do you think that you or your group could accomplish for God through faith in Him?

·         39: They did not receive what had been promised.  This is true in two ways.  For one, they did not receive their rescue during this present life.  They were looking beyond this life for their treasure.  Second, these Old Testament saints did not live to experience the fullness of the gospel that we have as New Testament believers.  They were looking forward to the coming Messiah who had not yet come.  If they were willing to live by faith before the coming of Christ, how much more should we be willing to live for Him now?

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

⁴In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." ⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. ⁹Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! ¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. ¹²Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ¹³"Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Hebrews 12:1-13 Running the Christian Race

vs. 12:1-3  Let Us Run

·         The Big Question: The main point of this passage is to tell us to RUN THE RACE.  What are all the ways this passage tells us how to run the race of faith better?

·         1: What is the “cloud of witnesses?”  How should these witnesses inspire you to run the race with perseverance?  [The examples of Old Testament saints from chapter 11 show us that running the race CAN be done.  It is as if they are cheering us on from the stands.  In a sense, they actually are- from heaven.]

·         1: Is the Christian life a sprint or a marathon?  Why?  What difference does that make?  [The Christian life is defiantly a marathon, not a spring.  We need endurance!  Don’t look for quick fixes or short cuts to spirituality.  You can’t run a marathon on Hershey bars.]

·         1: “Throw off”  When someone runs a race, do they wear a snowsuit?  No.  Do they carry a backpack?  No.  They get rid of ANYTHING that weighs them down!  This is what we are supposed to do too!

·         1: What are the TWO types of things that this verse says we are supposed to throw off? 

o        “Sin” -Sin is rebellion against God.  Obviously, we can’t live the Christian life of faith the way we are supposed to if we hold on to sins instead of getting rid of them!

o        “Everything that hinders” –Notice, this is different than sin!  This will revolutionize you life when you realize this!  Too often we just ask if something is “sin” or not.  And if it isn’t sin, we feel free to do that.  But God doesn’t want us to just get by with the bare minimum.  If we really want to run the race with endurance, we need to cast off not only sin, but EVERYTHING that slows us down!  (Some translations translate this as “every weight.”) 

·        1: Discuss some of the many things that aren’t specifically “sin” but nonetheless distract you from God?  Think about you day and your week.  What things take up most of your time?  How many hours do you waste doing things that aren’t really important?  Maybe it isn’t a matter of time but a matter of something else that entangles you and weighs you down?  Maybe it’s a relationship or something else?  (There might be some things you will want to write down in private to think about and pray about.)

·         2: What does it mean that Christ endured the cross from the joy set before Him!?  Was the cross joyful!?  How can Christ’s example motivate you?  [The cross was literally hell on earth!  BUT… Jesus looked PAST the cross to the joy that it would bring Him.  He was willing to undergo suffering and hardship NOW for greater joy later!  This is what we should do too!  Faith is being sure of the good that is promised to us but not yet in our hands.  Through faith in God’s promises, we can choose to endure terrible hardships for the greater joy that will come BECAUSE of that choice.]

vs. 12:4-13  The Discipline of a Father

·         The Big Question: What does God want us to learn about “discipline” from this passage?

·         4-6: Is discipline a good thing or a bad thing? 

·         Hating God for His discipline is just as immature and stupid as a child hating his parent for disciplining him.

·         What are some of the forms that God’s discipline can take?  Can you think of some Biblical examples?  What do you think are the most common forms of God’s discipline?

·         God’s discipline can even include sickness and death.  See Acts 5:1-11 and 1 Corinthians 11:27-32.  However, don’t assume that every bad thing that happens to you is specifically God’s discipline.  God’s discipline is not “karma.”  God hardly ever gives us what we REALLY deserve in this life!  Probably the most common forms of God’s disciple are (1) guilt and conviction, and (2) messed up lives as the consequences of our sin.  Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”  In effect, God says, “You want choose sin?  Fine.  Enjoy the consequences.  Don’t expect Me to bail you out.”

·         Is it easier to live in sin as an unbeliever or as a believer?  [It is much harder to sin as a believer with the Holy Spirit inside you.  You will be miserable.]

·         10-11: What is the GOAL of God’s discipline?  Why does He do it?  (Therefore, how should we respond?) 

·         There is a good chance you will be a parent one day.  What does this passage teach you about how to be a good parent?  [If you don’t discipline, you don’t really love your child!]  Why do some people think that it is more loving NOT to discipline?  What are the reasons they are wrong?  (But what if it makes your kids “hate you?”) 

¹⁴Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ¹⁶See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. ¹⁷Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.

¹⁸You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; ¹⁹to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, ²⁰because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." ²¹The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear." ²²But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, ²⁴to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. ²⁵See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? ²⁶At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." ²⁷The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹for our "God is a consuming fire."

Hebrews 12:14-29 Living in View of God’s Holiness

vs. 12:14-17  Make Every Effort…

·         14-17: Running the race of the Christian Life isn’t just about warm and fuzzy feelings.  It is about having love for Jesus Christ and becoming more like Him.  It is about obedience that comes because of a changed heart based on knowledge of God.  What are the things in this paragraph that God wants Christians to either pursue or flee from?

• Make every effort to live in peace with all men.  We can’t guarantee peace, but as much as it depends on us, we are to seek to live at peace with others. 
• Seek holiness.  Holiness means being set apart from sin.  Without holiness, no one can see the Lord!  We have two types of holiness… We have the holiness of Jesus Christ that is credited to us as a gift.   We also have the holiness of a changed life that grows as we live for Jesus.
• We are to see to it that no one misses the grace of God.  We are to make the gospel message clear and powerful to everyone around us… both in the visible church and outside of the church.
• See to it that no “bitter root” grows up to cause trouble and to defile many.  One single person can cause a lot of damage and hurt when they become bitter about something.  Make sure this doesn’t happen to you, and do everything you can to help it not to happen to the Christians around you.
• See to it that no one is sexually immoral.  (I think there might be a connection to Esau here also.  Esau went after godless women.) 
• See to it that no one is godless like Esau who viewed his birthright as something of little value.  Remember, this is a main theme of Hebrews.  Don’t harden your heart against God’s grace.  Growing up in a Christian community doesn’t make you a true Christian!  Don’t view God’s grace as something small, the way that Esau viewed his birthright.  Don’t be a fool and trade God’s offer of salvation for short-term pleasure like sin or a bowl of soup.
• Note: The living the Christian life is not just an individual effort- it is a community effort!  That is why the author doesn’t just write, “See to it that you…” but instead he writes, “See to it that no one…”  We can’t FORCE anyone to live for God, but there is a LOT we can do to spur one another towards love for God and away from sin.

·         16-17: What are we supposed to learn from Esau?  [Many godless choices have consequences that cannot be undone, even if we plead with tears.]  Therefore, reject S

atan’s lies such as, “One time won’t hurt me.”

vs. 12:18-29  The Shaking of Heaven and Earth

·         18-24: In these two paragraphs, the author compares two mountains, (1) Mt. Sinai where God gave Moses the Old Testament law, and (2) Mt. Zion.  Zion is another name for Jerusalem.  The earthly city of Jerusalem is where Jesus Christ died for our salvation.  The author also speaks of the “heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.”  The author is really comparing two pictures of God.  At Sinai God manifested Himself with an emphasis on His holiness.  Through Christ, God “displayed” Himself with an emphasis on His love and grace that satisfied (not changed) His holiness.   

·        18-24: What are some other details about God that you can pick out from these paragraphs?  [From Sinai, we know that God is absolutely holy and… terrifying.  There is a sense in which we should view God as terrifying!  If we don’t, we either don’t understand God, or we don’t understand our own unholiness.  But, we do not come to a God who is only terrifying; we come to a God of glorious joy when we are in a right relationship to Him through the blood of Jesus Christ!  God does not cease to be holy and He does not cease to be the perfect judge of all men.  But if we have accepted Jesus as our sin-bearer, we are made perfectly acceptable to God.]

·         25-27: Here is the logic of this paragraph:  The heaviness of God was shown to be great in the giving of the Old Testament law through Moses.  The glory of God is shown to be EVEN GREATER through Christ, His cross, and the grace He gives.  If it was a very serious thing to reject God before, it is an even more serious thing to reject Him now!

·         27: If you refuse God’s greatness and salvation, you are not really His, even if you are a part of God’s community.  Eventually you will be shaken out.

·         28: “THEREFORE…”   What is the concluding application here for believers?  (Remember, the word “therefore” means that the application is connected to the facts given above.  Separate the two and you lose the power of the argument falls apart.)

·         28: Why are thankfulness and worship proper responses to God?  What is the proper role of “reverence and awe” in the lives of believers?  Do all Christians have reverence and awe for God?  Why or why not? 

·         28: Many churches think that we should avoid proclaiming the “terrifying” aspects of who God is.  Do you think this HELPS or HURTS people in the long run?  What would the author of Hebrews say?

¹Keep on loving each other as brothers. ²Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. ³Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. ⁴Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. ⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." ⁶So we say with confidence,"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

⁷Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. ⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ⁹Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. ¹⁰We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. 

¹¹The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. ¹²And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. ¹³Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. ¹⁴For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. ¹⁵Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. ¹⁶And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:1-16 Living in View of God’s Holiness, continued…

vs. 13:1-6  Keep on Loving Each Other…

·         1: What does it mean to love each other as brothers?  Love is more than just “warm feelings.”  What is it really going to mean to love each other as brothers?  What might this look like in action?  (Are there ways that this will be different than what non-Christians would normally think?  How?)

·         2: What is this verse saying?  Hebrew Christians would be familiar with the stories of Abraham (Genesis 18:1-14) and Lot (Genesis 19:1-3) providing food and/or lodging for people they later found out were angels.  What does it mean to “entertain” strangers?  Does that mean that we’re supposed to juggle for them and tell them jokes?  Maybe a little song and dance?  [The main point here is that Christians are supposed to care for their brothers and sisters in Christ when they have need or food and rest.  Safe hotels were hard to come by, especially for believers who were beginning to be persecuted.]

·         3: In context, this is probably about Christians who were in prison because of their faith.  YOU might be fortunate enough not to be in prison for your faith, but what about your Christian brothers and sisters?  Will you risk caring for them and supporting them?  (By the way, DON’T think there are no Christians in the world today who are in prison because of Christ!  When is the last time you prayed for the persecuted church in the world today?)

·         4: Keep the marriage bed pure!  What is the clear message here about Christians and sexuality?  How do Christians need to apply this teaching our culture that gives us the opposite message every time we turn on the TV set?  (This would be a good verse for young single people to memorize!)

·         4: In our culture today, are there other applications to the Bible’s command that “Marriage should be honored by all’?  For example, if you can vote in the election next week, what would God want you to vote on proposal 2 to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman? 

·         5-6: What does it mean to keep your lives free from the love of money?  Why is that important?  What does the author of Hebrews remind us of to help us do that?   [He quotes Scripture that reminds us that God will never leave us or forsake us, and that He is our helper.  In other words, God is our security, not our bank account.]

·         Quote: “It is possible to love money without having it, and it is possible to have it without loving it.” –J.C. Ryle

vs. 13:7-10  Jesus, the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever

·         7: Many Bible scholars believe that these Hebrew Christians in the situation where most of their long-time leaders were dead or dying.  The author of Hebrews is encouraging his readers to focus their thoughts on the examples of their lives.  This is something that God wants all of us to do.  We each have people who have gone before us who have been great examples.  What was their life like?  What quality of life did it give them?  Sure, it may not have been the type of life that the people of the world crave, but in the areas that really count, wasn’t it much better because of their dedication to God?  Would any of you like to talk about someone like that in your life?

·         7: Although this is not a direct application, I think another good application from this verse is the need for Christians to read biographies of “great” Christians!  Learning from the lives of Jim Elliot, Jonathan Edwards, D.L. Moody, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Augustine and others. 

·         8: This is a very cool verse, but people almost never think about what it means in context?  Why is this verse written at this point in Hebrews?  [Human leaders die.  Leaders come and go, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He is the only one who is permanent.  Pastors come and go.  Youth leaders and sponsors come and go… or maybe YOU are the one who goes away… but Jesus remains!]  What is God saying to you through this?

·         9-10: Don’t get caught up in false teachings.  Jesus taught that it is not what goes into a man that makes him clean or unclean, but what comes out of a man’s heart.  Focus on transforming your heart by knowing the grace of God and living by it.  (By the way, “Transforming Grace” by Jerry Bridges is an awesome book.)

vs. 13:11-16  Suffering Outside the City Gates

·         11-14: How does this paragraph echo and recapture many of the things that we have discussed in detail throughout the book of Hebrews?

·         12: Explain the gospel message contained in verse 12. 

·         13: What does it mean to “bear the disgrace He bore?”

·         13-14: What is the connection between “going out of the city gates” and “looking for a city to come?”  What is the meaning?  [Although we might/will face sufferings and persecution in this life, for the sake of Jesus, it is okay.  This world, as it is, is not our home.  This is not our final rest.  This world, as it is, is not where Christians are to seek their comfort.  We have forward-looking faith to the joy of God to come!]

¹⁷Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. ¹⁸Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. ¹⁹I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

²⁰May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ²²Brothers, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter. ²³I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

²⁴Greet all your leaders and all God's people. Those from Italy send you their greetings. ²⁵Grace be with you all.

Hebrews 13:17-25 May He Work in Us What is Pleasing to Him

vs. 13:17-19  Leaders Who Must Give an Account

·         17: Discuss what these verses imply about the responsibility of leaders in the church.  Why has God appointed spiritual leaders?  What is the responsibility of these leaders? 

·         17: What does it mean that they are men who “must give an account?”  How should keeping that in mind affect a leader in the church?  [He needs to take his task very seriously!  God will one day call him to account!] 

·         17: How should keeping this in mind affect church members?  [We need to remember that discipleship and discipline are NOT optional activities for church leaders!  They are disobeying God if they do not do what they need to do and will be held accountable before God.  You can’t tell them to “mind their own business” because this IS their business!]

·         17: How well do you think the spiritual leadership is in most churches in America?  What are the obstacles that we face?  [We have a very independent culture that doesn’t want other people to “tell us what to do.”  Also, church leaders are often afraid to offend people because then they might leave and go to another church.  (This isn’t good for attendance, or the all-important budget.)  Also, we have no many churches that people can simply walk down the street to another church that is more “loving” and “forgiving” and “less judgmental’ toward their sin and foolishness.] 

·         18: The author of Hebrews says that he has a “clear conscience” and that they have desired to conduct themselves honorably in all things.  What does this mean?  Why is this important for any type of ministry? 

vs. 13:20-25  May He Work in Us What is Pleasing to Him

·         20-21: In these verses, what is the author of Hebrews asking God to do?  [He is asking God to equip the believers with everything they need to do God’s will.] 

·         Discuss the meaning and importance behind these other phrases from this section: 

o        “the God of Peace”

o        “who through the blood of the eternal covenant”

o        “brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus”

o        “that great Shepherd of the sheep”

·         21: “May He work in us what is pleasing to Him.”   What does this mean?  Why is it important?  You will not know what it means to glorify God until you understand the significance of this sentence and take it to heart!

·         21: Back when we did 40 Days of Purpose, it was pointed out to us that worship is supposed to be directed at God rather than directed at man.  We shouldn’t think of it as far as what WE get out of it, but instead we should think about what we can give TO GOD.  This is a vast improvement over the self-centered worship… but it still isn’t good enough.  You see, unless we are careful, we can start to think that when we worship God (with our hearts and lives) that WE are doing God a favor!  In that case, who gets the glory?  (We do.)  So, as we seek to be God-centered, we must remember that we are not doing God a favor.  GOD is the one working through us.  “May HE work in us what is pleasing to Him.”   Like C.S. Lewis taught, when we give back to God we are like a child who buys his father a present with the six-pence (British money) that the father gave the child.  Certainly the father is filled with joy because of the gift, but he is six-pence none the richer.

If we live at level 1, we are like a BLACK HOLE.  If we live at level 2, we might think we are like the SUN.  But if we live at level three, we are like the MOON.  We have no glory of our own, but we reflect God’s glory!  Until we understand this, as individuals and as a church, we may THINK that we are being God centered when in fact we are not yet bringing all the glory to Him. 

·         Side note: This is why I hope our church’s mission statement one day will say “to bring glory to God” rather than “to bring joy to God.”

·         21: “through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever”  It is all BECAUSE of Jesus and THROUGH Jesus and FOR THE GLORY of Jesus!

·         22-24: These last verses provide some clues about the form, author, and audience of Hebrews.  Verse 22 says that this “short letter” is a “word of exhortation.”  This means that Hebrews was a letter designed to be read as a sermon, encouraging its hearers to action based on God’s truth.  Verse 23 shows that the author knows Timothy, and that Hebrews was written after Timothy had been in prison and was released from prison.  Verse 24 mentions “those from Italy” who send greetings to the original audience.

Hebrews 1-6