Today’s passage: Hebrews 11:13-16

Helpful thoughts:

• Christians, you are not called to “live your best life now.”  It is only when you consider your best life to be the life ahead that you make this time count the most.  Faith makes eternity far more significant and valuable than the temporal in the heart of the Christian.
  • Being “rich” (Or simply being preoccupied by your material wealth or the lack thereof) is not living your best life now, by the way…  Abraham was rich by the world’s standards and this passage has nothing to do with that.
• Old and New Testament passages remind all of us that we are sojourners (“Strangers and exiles” in this life, just like Abraham and Sarah (Psalm 119:19, 1 Peter 2:11).
• If we believe (Have faith) that heaven is truly a “better country” than what we could have now, it will change our priorities and our plans.  What we believe changes us.

Questions to consider:

1. What are some of the bigger goals you are chasing right now?  What fed the motivations to make those goals significant to you?  How is your pursuit of those goals impacting your other activities/relationships throughout the day?
2. How does this passage help us to think through the concept of trying to do a lot of good things in order to make it to the “better country?”  Or, trying to harness the power of the better country to make things better here?
3. What is God’s view toward those who put their hope/faith in Him alone (Verse 16)?  What is He preparing for us?

Today’s passage: Hebrews 11:8-12

Helpful thoughts:

• The fruits of faith continue in these verses in the lives of:
  • Abraham – Didn’t know where he was going, but trusted in the one who had sent him.  Faith in his eternal inheritance encouraged him to live in a land that was not his own.
  • Sarah – Originally laughed at the idea due to her old age but afterward laughed in joy at the conception and birth of their son, Isaac (Genesis 18:9-15, 21:1-7).
• Faith results in a willingness to obey in the big decisions, and a willingness to obey in the everyday small decisions.  Abraham and Sarah were not done growing when they moved to a foreign land.  Their faith was to be expressed in every facet of their life, as it should be in ours.
• We are reminded today that faith changes our eternal destiny…and our daily actions.

Questions to consider:

1. Sarah did not conceive because she “had enough faith.”  That would be a poor interpretation that would lead to a “health and wealth” style interpretation.  So then, what fruit did Sarah’s faith produce through her actions?  How was Sarah’s faith put on display through that whole time?
2. When we want to know “God’s will,” what kinds of decisions are we usually seeking answers to?  When the Bible says that God’s will is our sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3), how does that cause us to shift our perspective?  Is God only interested in changing our circumstances, or in changing us?

Today’s passage: Hebrews 11:1-7

Helpful thoughts:

• After speaking of those who have faith in chapter 10, the writer defines faith in the beginning of chapter 11.
  • “The assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
• This chapter features many people of faith, including these in the first seven verses:
  • Abel – His faith resulted in righteous obedience.
    • God’s commendation means an affirmation.  There was fruit in Abel’s life because of faith, and God is pointing out that fruit.
  • Enoch – His faith resulted in living in such a way that was pleasing to God (2 Corinthians 5:9).
    • Enoch was taken up before death (Genesis 5:21-24), many suspect for a special purpose along with Elijah, who also never died. (Revelation 11:3-13).
  • Noah – His faith resulted in the obedience of building (And entering) the ark.
    • Noah was saved from God’s judgment through faith, a literal reality and an example of our salvation through faith in Christ.

Questions to consider:

1. How does the definition of faith given in verse 1 address the present and the future?  How does what we believe about the future change the way we think and desire in the present?
2. What is the theme of this chapter, awesome people…or faith?  Who is the hero of the Bible?  Where does our faith come from (Ephesians 2:8-9)?  Why will we have to keep this in mind as we read?
3. With that being said, what is being shown in the lives of those who have faith?  If God has graciously opened a person’s eyes and they have faith, what will happen in their lives?  What then should we expect to see in the rest of this chapter, which has been called, “The Hall of Faith?”

Today’s passage: Hebrews 10:32-39

Helpful thoughts:

• The original recipients of this letter had already shown evidence of faith in enduring persecution after their conversion.
• There will be difficulties and hardships in this life.  Christ is coming, and then our time here will have seemed so short.  Live with eternity in mind!
• “We (Meaning, true Christians) are not of those who shrink back.”  The writer of Hebrews encourages perseverance in the faith and also acknowledges the truth of all those who are in Christ.  Christians persevere.

Questions to consider:

1. This passage from Habakkuk 2 is also quoted in Romans 1:16-17.  What does, “the righteous shall live by faith” mean?  How does faith serve as the means to living righteously? (Think conversion, then sanctification, and perseverance)
2. Why is it hard for Christians in the west to understand the meaning of enduring suffering as a believer?  Persecution served as a testing ground for these believers in this passage.  What are some potential testing grounds for Christians in our society?  Where is the fruit of our faith displayed?
3. If a Christian is not one who “shrinks back,” then what does it mean to shrink back and who does that?  How is the perception of the “church” different from God’s perspective than from ours?  Is everyone who goes to church somewhere actually part of the Church?  What is the difference?

Today’s passage: Hebrews 10:26-31

Helpful thoughts:

• Remember the original audience, the Hebrew people.  If someone continues in sin (Including rejecting Christ in favor of preferring the Old Testament sacrificial system) deliberately, there no longer remains a sacrifice.
  • If a Hebrew person wanted to reject Christ and go sacrifice a lamb, that sacrifice would not only be ineffective, it would also be an additional act of rebellion, because the only acceptable sacrifice to God now comes through the blood of Christ.
• Knowing that the previous passage exhorts believer to hold fast to their faith in the faithful God, this passage is to be read as an encouragement for true believers!  True believers were going to believe in Christ!
• If a Jew (Or now today, even a professing Gentile believer) rejects God the Son after having participated in the set-apart people of God, he or she will have outraged the Spirit and deserves the vengeance of God.  This is heinous sin against God.
  • Apostates (Those who profess faith and later reject Christ) give evidence they were never truly saved by their fruit.
  • Real Christians change and persevere (Romans 8:28-30).

Questions to consider:

1. What does it mean to “go on sinning deliberately?”  Repentance is a change of mind which results in a change in actions.  What does a person who goes on sinning deliberately refuse to do?
2. What would be the specific repentance required first and foremost for a Hebrew person in the first century AD?  What did they need to believe about the Christ?  How might this passage be applied more often today (Perhaps for a Gentile who grew up in a Christian home, in the church)?
3. What more do we learn about God in this passage today?  Our God is certainly loving…and what other attribute is communicated in these verses?  What would be our right response to this knowledge?  How does it sharpen our understanding of His love as well?

Today’s passage: Hebrews 10:19-25

Helpful thoughts:

• When Christ’s flesh (His body) was torn, we were cleansed and granted access to God.  This was pictured when the curtain at the was was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51).  We can have a relationship with God and come to Him in prayer without fear.
• We can hold our faith with certainty because our salvation is rooted in God’s faithfulness, not our own.  We can only hold onto our faith when we remember that it is God who has rescued and is holding onto us.
• Christianity is not a religion for individual consumers.  We are to be gathered together.  And we gather together to build into each other in love.  If you missed church and you feel like you really didn’t “miss” anything…you’re missing the point.

Questions to consider:

1. On what basis does a Christian have the privilege to pray and be heard?  If we think God hears us better when we are being “good,” what gospel truths have we forgotten?
2. Why is it right to believe that our salvation is eternally secure?  Whose faithfulness is being put to the test?  Why can you be utterly confident in your future?
3. What are some ways you could make our church gatherings more fruitful, both for others and for yourself?

Today’s passage: Hebrews 10:11-18

Helpful thoughts:

• Verse 14 encapsulates the phrase that we use sometimes to describe our sanctification, “Already and not yet.”
  • We are already declared perfect in Christ.
  • We are progressively growing in this life to be more like Him.
    • Both of these truths are purchased and secured through the one-time sacrifice of Jesus.
• The promise of the New Covenant found in Jeremiah 31 is quoted again in verses 16 and 17.
• God promised to make Christ’s enemies His “footstool” in Psalm 110:1.
  • The idea of making His enemies His footstool means that God will bring all things under the authority of Christ the King.  Christ will reign as King of kings.  Every knee will bow.
• God requires no further sacrifices because Christ paid our debt in full!

Questions to consider:

1. Why don’t we sacrifice spotless lambs anymore?
2. Again in this passage, we are presented with two significant aspects of who Christ is:  His loving sacrifice and His majestic authority.  Why do we have every reason to praise, love, and obey our Savior and King?
3. Some might argue that believing in our perfect standing in Christ would hurt our motivation to grow in righteousness in this life.  Why isn’t that true?  How does our perfect standing in Christ both motivate and guarantee our movement toward righteous living (1 John 3:2)?

Today’s passage: Hebrews 10:1-10

Helpful thoughts:

• The writer of Hebrews continues to show the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old.  But more than that, we read today that the New Covenant replaces the Old.
  • “He does away with the first in order to establish the second.” (Verse 9)
• The annual sacrifices were to produce a continual awareness of sin.  The annual sacrifices were designed to teach Israel that those methods were not fixing the root problem.  A better sacrifice was needed to bring about true change.
• The words of Psalm 40:6-8 are quoted.  God is not satisfied with animal sacrifices alone, He is worthy of change of heart and actions.  Christ would come and do God’s will to bring this about in His people.
  • This means Christ’s death paid for our sins, and it also guarantees our final sanctification.

Questions to consider:

1. With all of this tied together, what was God’s will in Christ’s suffering?  What all did it (And what all will it) accomplish?
2. How does this passage better help us to understand whether we are responsible to keep the Old Testament Law?  Is the Old Covenant still in effect?  Is God worthy of our pursuit of righteousness?  Which concepts and commands from the Law make sense to continue to keep today and which ones were clearly for that time and that nation? (For example: You are now allowed to eat bacon (Pork), but you should still love God and love your neighbor…why?)
3. How does God’s interest in the change in our hearts help us to think rightly about His “plans” for our lives?  We often think about events and physical results, what does God see and desire first?

Today’s passage: Hebrews 9:23-28

Helpful thoughts:

• The copies of the heavenly things were purified by “copies”.  The real purification needed to take place with a better sacrifice.
  • Jesus is the superior High Priest.
  • Jesus brings the superior Covenant.
  • Jesus is the superior sacrifice.
• Jesus does NOT make sacrifices repeatedly.  His blood is NOT continually poured out.  His one-time sacrifice was a once-and-for-all sacrifice!  When His blood was shed, the offering for atonement was given, it was finished forever.
• All who have been called will be fully and finally saved at Christ’s return.  We have reason for eternal hope!  Christ is coming!

Questions to consider:

1. Are there any second chances after death?  What does God’s Word say in verse 27?  When is the time to repent and put your faith in Jesus?
2. If a person is hoping in his/her own efforts to make it in the end, what are they missing?  On what basis should anyone look forward to Christ’s return?  What did Christ have to do for us to make us fit for the glorious presence of God in that day?
3. What does it mean to “eagerly wait” for Christ?  What are you looking forward to experiencing in that day?  How does THAT day change how you live THIS day?