5. Which classic literary character was the inspiration for Captain Hook?

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1 Week 8, Hebrews 5:5 14 Hook Main Point: Jesus is the better growth plan. Trivia: Today s lesson will discuss the notion of believers becoming mature in the faith. Have you ever known someone who simply refused to grow up? The character Peter Pan refused to mature. Test your Peter Pan knowledge with the trivia below. 1. What is the alternate title of the 1904 stage play Peter Pan? a. Never Land b. The Boy Who Wouldn t Grow Up c. Pan and Hook 2. Disney s feature length animated film Peter Pan was released in what year? a b c The 1991 live action film Hook was directed by Steven Spielberg and featured which of the following actors as Captain Hook? a. Dustin Hoffman b. Robin Williams c. Bob Hoskins 4. Peter Pan met Wendy Darling while retrieving his: a. Thimble b. Shadow c. Marbles 5. Which classic literary character was the inspiration for Captain Hook? a. Captain Ahab b. Professor James Moriarty c. Poseidon

2 Discussion Questions What is the appeal of never growing up? What is the danger? How does a believer mature in his faith? What are the dangers of an immature Christian?

3 Hebrews 5:5 14 Book Main Point: Jesus is the better growth plan. Text Summary: Jesus is compared with an Old Testament character named Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:5 10 (Read) Sub Point: Jesus is a priest and king. Jesus qualifications as high priest are listed. Jesus is declared a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. The priesthood is a divine vocation, not a human institution. 1 In Moses generation, God appointed the high priest, starting with Aaron the Levite. The Hebrew readers, familiar with temple systems, knew that God appointed priests from the Levites. The writer of Hebrews takes his time legitimizing Jesus as the high priest from a different order He is a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek (5:6). Not Aaron, but Abraham. This quote from Psalm 110 (in Hebrews 5:6) introduces us to the idea that Jesus is a king and a priest like Melchizedek who was the king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God in the time of Abraham (Genesis 14:18 20). Jesus high priesthood is unique and Hebrews details its uniqueness in subsequent chapters but for now, the writer affirms that the two nonnegotiable prerequisites for high priesthood were fulfilled in Jesus: 1. He was appointed by God. 2. He experienced genuine humanity. Verses 7 through 9 communicate these points, but are also some of the most difficult-tointerpret passages in the New Testament. Let s walk through them together. Verse 7. While He lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as He offered up priestly prayers to God. Because He honored God, God answered Him. 2 Jesus prayer included a plea for salvation from death. God heard Him. Jesus not only rose again, saved from death and alive forever, b ut He conquered death so that we might all do the same! 1 Allen, David L. (2010), In The New American Commentary: Hebrews (p. 317). Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group. 2 Peterson, Eugene. (2002), Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language (Hebrews 5:7 10). Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress Publishing Group.

4 Verse 8. Though He was God s Son, He learned trusting-obedience by what He suffered; just like we do. 2 Jesus is a priest and, like all priests before Him, He experienced genuine humanity and empathizes with every man and woman who approaches Him (4:15). Obedience (Greek) hupakoē to listen and comply 3. The root of the word is hupakouō to listen attentively 3. It is impossible to remove the concept of hearing from that of obeying. Jesus did as He heard. This is learning trusting-obedience. Our obedience looks the same: to do as we hear. Below is an excerpt from The Bible Knowledge Commentary concerning verse 8: His (Jesus ) unique relation to God notwithstanding (He was a Son), He had to experience the true meaning of obedience in terms of the suffering it entailed. Having done so, He was thereby made perfect for the role He would play as His people s Captain and High Priest. That there is an element of mystery in all this need not be denied, but it is no greater than that found in Luke s words: Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52). In a real sense not fully comprehensible, the Incarnation gave the already infinitely wise and perfect Son of God the experiential acquisition of knowledge about the human condition. Suffering thus became a reality that He tasted and from it He can sympathize deeply with His followers. (The Gr. has an interesting play on words in the verbs He learned [emathen] and He suffered [epathen].) 3 Verse 9. Jesus was made perfect and is the source of salvation for all who believe. His being made perfect does not connote any ethical or moral advance, for He was sinless; but in both Hebrews 2:10 and here, in 5:9, the perfecting of Christ is connected to His suffering. 4 His suffering functioned as a means by which Jesus is qualified to be high priest. His suffering is also the means by which Jesus offered Himself as our once-and-forever sacrifice for sin (7:27). Verse 5:9 says that Jesus became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. How do we obey Him? 3 Zane C. Hodges, "Hebrews" In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), Heb 5: Strong, James. (1990), Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (5218, 5219). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

5 Obedience is rooted in hearing. Revisit Hebrews 3:15, How are hearing, obeying, and believing connected? Hebrews 5:11 14 (Read) Sub Point: Believers are meant to mature in theology and practice. The recipients are criticized for being immature in the faith. Today s families understand how hard it is to talk to a child who is zoned out on technology, oblivious to what s happening around him. Many an OK, Mom has been uttered only to realize the child had no idea what was said, or what he agreed to do. The writer of Hebrews is about to dive into some deep revelation surrounding Jesus priesthood and its correlation to Melchizedek, not to mention the superiority of Christ s ministry, and the depth of privileges we have as believers. Before wasting a single breath, he addresses the children: About (all of) this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing (5:11). In other words, you d best unplug from other sources and truly tune in before we go any further. He rebukes his readers from a few angles, but each points to their problem of poor hearing. This makes sense since obedience is rooted in attentive listening and the Hebrew readers needed to sharpen their skills. 5:12 Oracles of God This was a phrase commonly used to refer to the Old Testament as divine revelation. 5 By now these readers should be feeding others, but they are still learning to hear and digest the Word of God for themselves. 5:13 The Word of Righteousness (logos dikaiosunē) This phrase most likely speaks to moral choices that Scripture navigates for the believer; this phrase speaks not to righteousness as in justification for salvation but instead to correct ethical decisions that are informed by Scripture. The readers of Hebrews had lack of skill or experience in this area. 6 They had not been developing as they should and thus would have difficulty in making the best moral choices. 5:14 Trained Discernment A mature believer is set apart in that he actively engages with the living Word of God and chews revelation like solid food. It is evident when a believer is 5 Allen, David L. (2010), In The New American Commentary: Hebrews (p. 336). Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group. 6 Allen, 337

6 exercising discernment because he is able to distinguish God s voice (good) from the Enemy s (evil) and make decisions accordingly. The recipients had been believers for a long time and yet were like spiritual babies. They were stumbling in their walk, failing to take the Word of God, grow in it and allow it to shape their lives. These believers should have been teaching others, multiplying strong disciples. Instead, the sad case is that they needed help with the basics. According to verse 12, what is evidence of spiritual maturity? How does someone become mature? Verse 13 says we ought to be skilled in the word of righteousness. Reread Hebrews 4:12. What might it look like to become skilled in the word of righteousness? Hebrews 5:14 says we must train our powers of discernment with constant practice. What are some ways we do that?

7 Week 8, Hebrews 5:5 14 Took Main Point: Jesus is the better growth plan. Class Discussion: The idea of remaining young might sound appealing in theory but it is anything but in reality. In his 1984 book The Peter Pan Syndrome: Men Who Have Never Grown Up, pop psychologist Dr. Dan Kiley addressed the destruction that accompanies a man who refuses to mature. 7 Man or woman, married or single, choosing to remain childlike carries consequences. In which areas of doctrine do you need to grow? Are there concepts in which you have remained ignorant for lack of effort? In which areas of obedience do you need to grow? What kind of action should be taken to address these areas? Lesson Conclusion: Believers must grow and replicate. The longer one is a Christian, the more he should grow in doctrine (truth) and obedience. The author had a desire to discuss deeper theology (like the concept of Jesus being similar to Melchizedek, but the recipients had limited themselves in understanding due to their immaturity. Challenge Grow. Believers are not meant to remain childlike. Pray for a desire to grow in maturity, seek godly counsel for ways to achieve that end, and thank God that you have the privilege of growth. Disciple others. Children take, adults give. If you are a maturing believer, you should be bringing someone along. Wisdom is not meant to be hoarded but shared. 7