It doesn t get better than this!

Transcription

1 BIBLE STUDY MINISTRIES It doesn t get better than this! Studies 9-13 Hebrews September 2014

2 1 STUDY 9 HEBREWS 8:1 13 FOR STARTERS Do you think it s possible for God to change his mind? In chapter 7 the author of Hebrews showed why a priest in the order of Melchizedek is so much better than any of the old, Levitical priests: he is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens; he serves in the power of an indestructible life; he has been made perfect forever. Chapter 8, then, marks the author s big conclusion the central point of the whole letter. Read Hebrews 8: What is the big point the author makes in verses 1 2? According to verse 1, Jesus is the high priest who sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. What Old Testament passage is the author alluding to (Hint: it s one he has referred to twice already), and what is he saying about Jesus by this? What is the true tabernacle in verse 2, and what service does Jesus perform there right now? 2. What kinds of things did the earthly priests offer, and what did Jesus offer (verses 3 4)? According to verse 5, why are the offerings of the earthly priests different from the offering of the heavenly high priest? What does this tell us about the value of those earthly offerings? In verse 5 the author quotes Exodus 25:40. How does this quote prove the inferiority of the earthly priests and their ministry? 3. Since Jesus ministry is so obviously superior to the ministry of the earthly priests, what else does that imply (verse 6)? Given that the readers of Hebrews were being tempted to turn away from Jesus to Judaism, what do verses 1 6 say to them?

3 2 For someone who loves quoting from the Old Testament, the author of Hebrews has outdone himself in chapter 8. The lengthy quote from Jeremiah 31:31 34 is, in fact, not only the longest single Old Testament quote in Hebrews, but the longest in the whole of the New Testament. This is the centrepiece of his letter. Furthermore, this quote is doubly noteworthy because, in contrast with all the other significant Old Testament quotes in Hebrews, the author doesn t engage in detailed commentary on this text; he leaves it to speak almost entirely for itself. Read Hebrews 8: In verse 7 the author suggests that there was something wrong with the first covenant that is, the covenant God made with Israel through Moses. Does this mean that God made a mistake? What was wrong with that covenant (see verses 7 8a & verse 9)? Jeremiah lived and worked during the darkest period in ancient Israel s history at the time of Israel s defeat and exile at the hands of the Babylonians. He watched as God brought his final punishment on his people for their centuries of disobedience. Even as the noose was tightening, Jeremiah saw how the people continued to rebel against God and to distrust his word. The covenant made through Moses had obviously failed! It was in this context that Jeremiah prophesied a new covenant that God would have to make a new way of relating to his people so that he could fulfil his commitment to bless his world. Jeremiah wasn t alone in speaking like this, by the way. Ezekiel among others also looked forward to a new kind of intervention by God in history (e.g., Ezekiel 36:25 27). 5. In what ways would the new covenant be different from the covenant of Moses (verses 10 11)? In the old covenant Moses said, If we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness (Deuteronomy 6:25). In the new covenant of Jeremiah, obedience isn t even mentioned. Why not? What will the new covenant be based on instead (verse 12)? Back in verse 6 the author had commented that the new covenant is founded on better promises than the old covenant of Moses. What are those better promises? 6. In what ways is the new covenant superior to the old, and why does it render the old covenant obsolete? From chapter 8, what is so wrong with the readers desire to turn back to Judaism?

4 3 HEBREWS AND US 7. Living as we do, in the age of the new covenant, the old covenant has been declared by God to be obsolete. What does this mean about all the laws God gave Israel through Moses? How should we think about them? What relevance do they have to us if any? God promised that under the new covenant his laws would be written on the hearts and minds of his people. What does this mean in practice? Because we are no longer bound by the laws of Moses (since the old covenant is obsolete), how should our lives compare to the lives of people who lived under the old covenant? 8. There is still a tendency in some Christian traditions today to refer to parts of our church buildings as the sanctuary, and/or to ascribe to our church buildings some kind of independent spiritual significance (e.g., as the Lord s house ). What would the author of Hebrews say about this? Where is God s true sanctuary and how do we enter it? To what should we ascribe true spiritual significance? 9. Reflect on God s new covenant promises that are yours through Jesus. Are there any you find difficult to understand? Are there any you find particularly precious? 10. The new covenant, founded on forgiveness and inner transformation, is God s provision in response to the failure of people to obey his first covenant. Despite that provision, however, humans (including Christians) always seem to default towards law religion. Why is this the case? What can we do to guard against falling into that trap?

5 4 STUDY 10 HEBREWS 9:1 10:18 FOR STARTERS We ve all done things we feel very guilty about. How do you intuitively respond to your feelings of guilt? How should you respond? In our last study we came to the centrepiece of the letter Jesus installation as our high priest in heaven and mediator of God s new covenant based on his unilateral forgiveness of our sins. Today s passage continues to explore these ideas, focussing on a comparison between Jesus ministry in the new covenant and the ministry of the priests with their sacrifices under the old covenant. And the author turns his attention first to the physical sanctuary of the old covenant its layout and furnishings. Read Hebrews 9: What names were given to the first and second rooms of the tabernacle (verses 1 5)? What did the second room represent? 2. What was the difference between the outer room of the tabernacle and the inner room (verses 6 7)? What extra thing did the high priest have to do before he could enter the inner room (verse 7)? A translational note Our English translations use as many as four different words to translate one word that is used consistently in Hebrews 9:1 8. That is, the Greek word for tent, which appears in verses 2, 3, 6 and 8, is translated variously as tabernacle (NIV, Holman, NASB), room (NIV, Holman), section (ESV), tent (ESV). In Hebrews the word can refer to either the tabernacle as a whole (e.g., Heb 8:5), or to one of the two compartments within the tabernacle (e.g., Heb 9:3). However, whenever tent is preceded by a number ( first or second ), in Hebrews that always refers to the first or second compartment within the tabernacle the outer room and the inner room. Therefore, verse 8 should read (as in the NASB translation): The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing. 3. Why did the continuing existence of the outer tabernacle (or room ) mean that the way into the Most Holy Place could not be disclosed (verses 8 10)? In other words, what was going on in the outer room? What was that not able to accomplish? And what does all of that have to do with access into the Most Holy Place? What is the ultimate value of all the old sacrifices of Judaism (verse 10)? Therefore, what value would there be in the readers of Hebrews returning to Judaism?

6 Read Hebrews 9: How is the tabernacle in which Jesus serves as high priest different from the tabernacle of the old covenant (verse 11; see also verse 24)? Which room in his tabernacle was Jesus able to enter, and on what basis (verse 12)? What does this mean? In terms of the effect it has, how does Jesus sacrifice compare with the regular sacrifices of the old covenant (verses 9 10 and 13 14)? Read Hebrews 9:15 28 The author now returns to the big theme of the new covenant, which he introduced in chapter 8, and he combines that with his discussion so far in this chapter about the earthly versus heavenly tabernacles, and how we enter God s presence. 5. We have just seen that Jesus death is able to cleanse our consciences. How does this relate to the new covenant (verse 15)? In verses 16 21, the author describes some commonly accepted legal realities: that a will (which is a type of covenant) is not put into effect until the person who made the will dies. He then points to the similarity with the inauguration of the old covenant under Moses that (as we find described in Exodus 24:4 8) the old covenant was only put into effect after something died in this case, sacrificial animals. 6. Why was it necessary for something to die before the old covenant system could be activated (verse 22)? From verses 23 26, how does the process of inauguration of the new covenant compare with the old? In what way is the new covenant more effective than the old (see especially verse 26b)? What doesn t need to be done anymore, and what is left for Jesus to do (verses 27 28)? Read Hebrews 10: What does the author s description of the Law as being a shadow (verse 1) imply about God s Old Testament revelation?

7 6 The author states that the old covenant sacrifices could never actually deal with sin (verses 1 4). Why couldn t they? What did they achieve instead? In verses 5 10 are two very important word chains to follow. The first is the repetition of the word body in verses 5 and 10. This refers to the body of the sacrificial victim. The author contrasts the sacrifices the worshippers brought under the old covenant with the body (i.e., the sacrificial victim) God himself had prepared for them. The second is the word will. This actually first appears in verse 5, which literally says, Sacrifice and offering you did not will. The word is then picked up in verses 7, 9 and What does God not want, and what does he want instead? In other words, in verses 5 10, what is God s will? What does this imply about the Old Testament sacrificial system? 9. Once again, in verse 12, the author insists that Jesus has already sat down at the right hand of God (remember Heb 1:3, 13 & 8:1). In verses 11 18, how does he summarise everything he has been saying from Hebrews 8:1 onward about the new covenant? HEBREWS AND US 10. Some Christians feel quite anxious even terrified about the coming day of Jesus return, because they fear that all their sinful deeds will be exposed to the universe. What do you think Hebrews 9:27 28 has to say to such people? How do these verses make you feel? 11. Hebrews 9:1 10:18 hammers home the point that Jesus sacrifice was a once for all event (see 9:12, 25 26, 27 28; 10:10, 12, 14). Why is this important? What does it mean for: how we should think about Roman Catholic practices such as the Mass and sacraments like confession and penance? the way we should deal with ongoing sin in our lives? 12. Why is assurance of salvation a mark of true Christian faith, and why do all false faiths fail to provide their adherents with any genuine assurance? Are you sure you re going to heaven? Why/why not?

8 7 STUDY 11 HEBREWS 10:19 11:40 FOR STARTERS We inhabit one of the most privileged points in history, in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, enjoying an unparalleled standard of living. Why is it especially important for people like us to be meeting regularly with other Christians? Or is it? By this point in Hebrews we have essentially come to the end of the major teaching sections of the letter. The author has demonstrated how much greater than everyone else Jesus is and how perfect is the salvation we have in him. In particular, he has demonstrated why returning to Judaism would be, not simply a backward step, but a tragic step! To do so would be to lose all of God s promises to Abraham and to come under his judgment. However, to press on in faith means to receive all the blessings of the new covenant everything the old covenant was incapable of providing. In short, persevering faith in Christ is the only course of action worth even considering. It doesn t get better than this! From here to the end of the letter, then, after drawing a final conclusion in 10:19 39, most of the author s focus is on encouraging his readers through a series of significant examples: first through their own example (10:32 39), then the example of all the faithful saints who preceded them (chapter 11), then the example of Christ (12:1 3), and finally the example of their leaders in the present (13:7 8). There are other exhortations and other encouragements sprinkled about, but the bulk of the doctrinal heavylifting is now behind us. Read Hebrews 10: This is one of the most famous passages in Hebrews, and justifiably so! It draws to a close the arguments of the last 10 chapters. In study 9 we saw that the central point of the letter is encapsulated in 8:1 2. How do these verses here complement what the author said in 8:1 2? 2. In verses the author lists two things that those who trust in Christ have. What are they? How are they related to each other? In verses the author lists three things that we should do in response. What are they? How are they related to each other, and to the two things we have from verses 19 21? The author s third exhortation (in verse 24) is fleshed out in two further exhortations in verse 25 one negative and one positive. What are they? Why are they the logical conclusion to the whole paragraph? (Hint: Why does the author finish by drawing their attention to the approaching Day?)

9 Read Hebrews 10: This passage is very reminiscent of a previous warning passage in Hebrews Hebrews 6:4 8. Compare the two passages: what common points do they make? Why does this warning follow so close on the heels of the exhortations in verses 19 25? Read Hebrews 10: What can the readers learn from their own example (verses 32 34)? What motivated them in the past to persevere despite persecution? What is the author s simple message to his readers (verses 35 39)? How does this relate to the exhortations in verses 19 25? Read Hebrews 11: How does verse 1 relate to the last verse of chapter 10? What significant word or concept is common to both? As we will soon see, this chapter presents a chronological list of spiritual heroes from the Old Testament. According to verse 2, why is this list here, and what encouragement does the author intend for his readers by it? A (tricky) translational note Verse 1 is a notoriously difficult verse to translate. There are two issues involved: (1) whether the two halves of the verse are strictly parallel to each other (which is what most of our translations assume); (2) and whether the two key words in this definition are to be understood as subjective convictions within the believer ( assurance, certainty NIV), or objective statements about the things believed in ( reality, proof Holman). I have been persuaded * that: (1) the two clauses are not parallel, but rather complementary; and therefore, (2) that the two key words are to be understood differently as confidence (subjective) and proof (objective) respectively. Therefore, I believe the verse should read: Now faith is the assurance of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. In other words, the first clause tells us what faith is; the second clause tells us what faith does. Faith is a personal conviction that what God has promised is true; what faith does is to demonstrate, through our faith driven choice to persevere despite persecution, that the things we don t yet see are, in fact, real (because why would we persevere if they weren t?).

10 9 6. Take it in turns reading through Hebrews 11:1 38 (stop before the last paragraph). I suggest that whenever you get to a new Old Testament character, you pass the reading on to the next person. As you read, take note of every time someone acts in accordance with what they hope for and what they do not see. Summarise what you have discovered: what were these people from the Old Testament hoping for? What did they not yet see? How do those things relate to the hope we have in Jesus? Read Hebrews 11: How many of God s Old Testament people had already received during their earthly lives what God had promised them? What was God s reason for not giving them what he had promised? How does this relate to Jesus and to the readers of Hebrews? What does this tell us about the relative value of the old covenant? HEBREWS AND US 8. The great exhortation of Hebrews 10 is to draw near to God, and to make sure others draw near as well, keeping our eyes fixed on the Day when Christ will appear to take us into God s presence once and for all (verses 22 25). When Christians get into the habit of not meeting regularly with God s people, what usually happens? In particular, what happens to their confidence in God s promises, and why? How does the claim in Hebrews 11:1 that faith is the proof of what is not seen further underline the importance of regularly meeting together? How does meeting with other Christians help us? How can we help those who are struggling to make this the priority it should be? 9. The author of Hebrews certainly doesn t pull his punches when it comes to warning his readers about the real danger they re in. Hebrews 10:26 31 is now the second time in the letter he has done this. However, compare Hebrews 10:39 with Hebrews 6:9 12. Why are the very severe warning passages there in Hebrews? How can they be of benefit to us today? 10. Examples can be very helpful, because they give us a concrete picture of what it means to persevere in faith in Christ. Which of the examples from Hebrews do you find most challenging or encouraging? Are there other examples of persevering faith in friends or acquaintances that inspire you as well? What, from their example, would you like to emulate in your own life?

11 10 STUDY 12 HEBREWS 12:1 29 FOR STARTERS What is worse than suffering? Read Hebrews 12: The paragraph begins with a big Therefore. Remind yourselves what Hebrews has been about in the preceding one and a bit chapters (from 10:39). 2. Who is this cloud of witnesses? What are they bearing witness to? (Hint: They are not watching on as the readers of Hebrews run their race.) What is the difference between everything that hinders (in some translations, every weight ) and the sin that so easily entangles? Why must we throw both of them off, and what will this mean in practice? Why should the witnesses from chapter 11 be an encouragement to us to run the race? 3. Way back in study 3 we saw that author has the sense of pioneer or trailblazer, and that perfection is about being made complete. If Jesus is the pioneer in the race, then what similarities do we see between Jesus experience and that of the readers of Hebrews (verses 2 3)? How should that encourage them? What difference is there between Jesus experience and that of the readers of Hebrews (verse 4)? How should that encourage them? Read Hebrews 12: Compare this passage with Deuteronomy 8:1 5. What is the purpose of God s discipline of us?

12 11 In what way can we see hardship as discipline (verse 7)? Why does God allow us to experience hardship (verses 7 11)? What does it tell us about God s relationship to us? How can we expect to benefit from it? 5. How, then, can the author call a message about discipline, rebuke and punishment (verses 5 6) a word of encouragement (verse 5)? What is encouraging about it? What should be our attitude to hardship in the present, especially the hardships we might experience because we want to singlemindedly follow Jesus? Read Hebrews 12: These instructions don t just come out of the blue; they are a continuation of the exhortations of this chapter. How do they fit with both the exhortation to run the race (verses 1 4) and the teaching about discipline (verses 5 13)? What should the hardships that faith in Christ brings do for the way we relate to our fellow believers? Read Hebrews 12: What event do verses refer to (if you need to, look up Exodus 19)? What was that like? What does the author describe in verses 22 24? How does this compare with Israel s experience at Mt. Sinai? Why does the author make this comparison? How does his picture of heaven fit with what he has been saying in this chapter so far?

13 Read Hebrews 12: Once again the author turns from encouragement to warning. What should be our attitude to God and his promises? Why? HEBREWS AND US 9. What are some of the things you find to be the biggest distractions from the race that is, that get in the way of you living single mindedly for Jesus? What can you do about them? 10. In our contemporary world, where things like voluntary euthanasia continue to be publicly debated, it seems that suffering is about the worst possible thing anyone can experience. We will do anything to try to ensure it doesn t happen to us. Given this context we live in, how can we find deep comfort in God s discipline of us? How should we learn to speak with our non Christian friends about our own experiences of hardship? 11. God treats us as beloved children (verses 5 11), yet we are told to worship God with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (verses 28 29). Is there a contradiction here? How can we resolve the apparent tension?

14 13 STUDY 13 HEBREWS 13:1 25 FOR STARTERS We often worry that others will think we re strange. Are we justified in worrying like that? This chapter seems to contain a fairly random collection of instructions. But if you look carefully, you will see that everything here echoes or reinforces things the author has been saying throughout the letter. Read Hebrews 13: In our urban, cosmopolitan world, a stranger could be virtually anyone we see any day of the week. However in the ancient world people were not nearly as mobile, so in a local town everyone knew everyone else. In fact, in Greek the word stranger also meant foreigner a stranger was someone who was different and didn t fit in with everyone else. In what way, therefore, would a stranger (verse 2) have been similar to a prisoner or a mistreated person (verse 3)? In verses 1 3, then (and recalling Hebrews 10:32 34), what is he exhorting his readers to do? How does entertaining strangers and remembering prisoners and the mistreated relate to the command to keep on loving each other as brothers? 2. Looking at verses 4 5a, where previously in Hebrews has the author exhorted his readers to get rid of sin and other distractions? Why are they to do that? Read Deuteronomy 31:1 8. Why does God tell Joshua and Israel that he will never leave or forsake them? Why does the author of Hebrews quote that in verse 5? How does it (and also the quote from Psalm 118 in verse 6) add to verses 1 5a? 3. In verse 7, what is it about their leaders that the readers were to take particular note of and to imitate? Where have we seen similar encouragements in Hebrews before? Given the things they were to take note of in verse 7, why does the author add his comment in verse 8 about Jesus never changing?

15 Read Hebrews 13: From verse 9 the author shifts focus a little away from personal examples, especially of those who have suffered for their faith, and begins to focus more on the doctrinal issues his readers were wrestling with. 4. What are the strange teachings (or foreign teachings ) they were in danger of being carried away by (verses 9 10)? Why refer to them as strange? The teachings of Judaism might now be strange to God s purposes, but how will the rest of the world view those who hold to the gospel of Jesus (verses 11 14)? Why? 5. If the teachings and practices of the old covenant are now foreign to God s purposes, what are the new covenant sacrifices (the worship practices) that God is truly pleased with (verses 15 16)? Why do they please him? 6. In what way do you think the readers of Hebrews were being tempted to disobey their leaders (verse 17; compare verse 7)? Why should they obey them? 7. The author has had some extremely harsh things to say to his readers (especially 5:11 6:8 and 10:26 31), yet he is still comfortable not only in asking for their prayers (verse 18), but in thinking they might be happy to see him again (verse 19)! What does this say about what the author expects will be the effect of this letter? Read Hebrews 13: Verses contain a wonderful short summary of the thrust of the whole letter. What does the author ask God to do for the readers? On what basis will they be able to do God s will and to be pleasing to him? Whose initiative is it? How does all of this relate to the major exhortations of this letter?

16 15 As was the usual custom in the first century, the letter to the Hebrews concludes with a list of personal greetings. However, we shouldn t dismiss them as mere trivia. They illustrate something of the concerns of the letter as seen in the lives of real people, and they show that the race continues even after the letter has finished. 9. The author has a gentle dig at himself in verse 22, urging his readers to bear with (or endure ) this short little letter as though their suffering for Jesus wasn t enough! However, in verse 23 he returns to his serious, encouraging purpose. How would the mention of Timothy s release (verse 23) have strengthened his exhortations to them in this letter? 10. How would his specific greeting to their leaders (verse 24) have strengthened his exhortations to them? HEBREWS AND US 11. Which of the many practical instructions and encouragements in Hebrews 13 do you find particularly helpful, inspiring or challenging? 12. Reflect on verses 20 21: how can these verses educate the way you pray for yourself and for your brothers and sisters in Christ? 13. Share with the group one thing in particular that you will take away from studying Hebrews this year, and one thing arising out of these studies that you would like the group to be praying for you. Then pray for each other! Could I encourage you this week to set aside some time to read through the whole of Hebrews again and to reflect again on what God has been saying to you through this part of his word.