HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

Transcription

1 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND BOOK 1 Rediscovering the Book of RUTH: A BIBLICAL JOURNEY JESUS OUR ANCHOR OF HOPE: HEBREWS 2:1-4 ARE YOU STANDING ON SHIFTING SAND? BOOK 2A

2 KEYS TO BIBLE STUDY A. PRAYER Ask God, Himself to be your teacher and to guide as you seek to understand what he has to say. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:12, He is very interested in your growth in faith and in your knowledge of Him. Pray with expectancy. You can be confident that He will reveal Himself through His word. B. DESIRE Our life in Christ is more precious than Gold. We must be nourished to be healthy and to grow. God s word is our spiritual food. 1Peter 2:2 tells us, As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby. Many Christians are weak and starving because they are not reading and personally studying. Jesus said, Thou shalt not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 As with any loving Father, God has so much that He wants to teach us. He wants to assure, guide, warn, enlighten and encourage. Stop and pray that you will have a desire and hunger to feast on His word. C. COMMITMENT King David once said, I will not give to the Lord that which costs me nothing. There is absolutely no doubt that there is a price to pay when we commit ourselves to spend the time for study. There will be days or weeks when many other things will distract us and vie for our time. Our commitment must be from our heart and given unto God. Choose this day whom you will serve. Joshua 24:15 Find a certain time that is best for you to set aside each day. Early in the morning, before responsibilities of the day begin, alone at lunchtime, or in the quiet of the evening are best for most. The enemy of our souls will make it his goal to distract. Pray and persevere! The rewards will be great. 2

3 JESUS OUR ANCHOR OF HOPE: ARE YOU STANDING ON SHIFTING SAND HEBREWS 2:1-4 Ladies, let s start by saying how blessed we were to see so many ladies return for our continuation in the Book of Hebrews. Last week after fellowship and worship we gathered to reacquaint ourselves with each other and review chapter 1. While revisiting chapter one, we were docked in a small village on the Mediterranean coast where our tour guide took us to a small gathering in a synagogue. We listened to the writer seeking to persuade his audience that Jesus is the Messiah. We then took another look with a deeper assessment of verses 1-4. This portion of Scripture underscores that Jesus was and is the final Word of God. He is the Heir of all things, the Maker of the Ages, the Brightness of His glory, and the Express image of His person. Jesus upholds all things, has purged our sins, and now sits at the right hand of Majesty. Because He (Jesus) was and is better than the angels, by inheritance He obtained a more excellent name. We then concluded chapter one with verses 5-14 where the writer proved that Jesus is superior to the prophets, the angels, and the Law while examining seven excerpts from the Old Testament. The writer wanted his audience, primarily Jewish, to know that everything written in the Old Testament was written about Jesus. Psalm 40:7 bears this fact, stating, Then I said, Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. Remember, with each lesson you will receive a synopsis, written in story format, which allows us to place ourselves in the time of the writing of this letter. Now we will dock here. Not only are we starting a new year, we are also starting a new chapter. This week we will resume our study in chapter 2, pondering, Are you standing on shifting sand? We will begin by revisiting the little village and synagogue where we find our writer continuing his dissertation. In this chapter, our writer starts in Hebrews 2:1, with an exhortation; Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. Here he places an emphasis on the warning of drifting away. It is well to note that our writer begins with a therefore causing his listener to reflect on what they had heard in order to recapture their attention. He mentions that he has given us adequate proof that all that is written and taught concerning Jesus is not to be taken lightly! 3

4 In the same manner, our writer, Dr. Luke, in Acts 1:1-2, writes this to his friend Theophilus exhorting him to remember this The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen. Along this same line of thought, our writer desired to encourage them to ponder whether they are standing on shifting sand which would cause them to drift away from the truth, or was their anchor fixed on staying focused on what they knew to be true about Jesus Christ! 4

5 DAY ONE: OBSERVATION Read Hebrews 2:1-18 OBSERVATION FACT: WHO ~Who is the author? Who is speaking (the author or another character)? For whom are these verses written? WHAT ~What is happening? What examples (good and bad) are being presented? What warnings or commands are offered? WHEN ~When was the book written, and what is the historical/cultural environment? When did (or will) the events in the verses take place? WHERE ~Where is the author? Where are the key characters of this passage? Where is the audience/recipients of this Scripture? WHY ~ Why were these verses written? Why are the people, events, and/or places being discussed? What doctrine or practical guidance (how to live in Christ) is given? HOW ~ How are people behaving? How is God responding to that behavior? KEY WORDS: What words or synonyms are repeated and /play an important role in conveying the author s key message? KEY VERSES: What verses capture the most important theme(s) of the Scriptures? 5

6 DAY TWO: INTERPRETATION Read Hebrews 2:1-4 INTERPRET SCRIPTURE: The most important principle to interpreting God s Word is to use Scripture to interpret Scripture. So as you consider the meaning take into account the: The verses before and after The whole passage & chapter The entire book The whole Bible What is happening? Why is this occurring? What do these verses mean to you? List two (2) Old Testament references that relate to this section of scripture:

7 DAY THREE: INSTRUCTION Background Verses: Ø Matthew 5:13-17, Matthew 22:1-5 Ø John 14:1-4, John 17:1-3 Ø Acts 3:2-11 Ø Romans 12:3-8 Ø 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 Ø Ephesians 4:7-16 Read Hebrews 2:1-4 WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT GOD THE FATHER, JESUS, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT? HOW DID YOU SEE THEM IN THESE SCRIPTURES? 7

8 DAY FOUR: APPLICATION AREA OF FOCUS: Read Hebrews 2:1-4 v Give the definition and what does it mean to drift away? v Who are the We v What had these listeners heard? v What did Jesus say? v Who were these who confirmed what Jesus said? WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT LIFE? Is there a sin you need to confess and repent of? How do these passages help you focus on God or impact your Christian walk? What new commands, truths, promises, exhortations, prophecies, or warnings have you learned? Whose example can you follow or avoid? WHAT DID THE LORD REVEAL TO ME ABOUT MYSELF? What does this passage teach you about yourself? About your desires and motives? What thoughts, attitudes, motives, or actions do you need to change? What false understandings (about God s Word) can you change? 8

9 DAY FIVE: PRAYER PRAY BACK TO GOD: A Specific Scripture Intercession on behalf of someone else. Thanksgiving and Supplication Worship Answer to Prayer Read Hebrews 2:1-4 WHAT CAN I TAKE FROM THIS SCRIPTURE AND PRAY BACK TO GOD? HOW WILL I APPLY THIS TO MY LIFE? Does this passage require that you take action? If so, what is it? 9

10 DAY SIX: SUMMARY Read Hebrews 2:1-4 WRITE A 2-PARAGRAPH SUMMARY FROM THESE VERSES OR SECTION OF SCRIPTURE OF WHAT PERSONALLY SPOKE TO YOU THE MOST? What are you thankful for? HOW AND WHY? 10