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| Series Theme: Hebrews Studies | |
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Contents:
Chs.10 & 11
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Chapter: Hebrews 10 Passage: Hebrews 10:19-25 A. Find Out: 1. What is the first ground of confidence that we havev.19,20 2. What is the second ground of confidence? v.21 3. What is the first thing we are encouraged to do & why? v.22 4. What is the second thing we're to do, and why? v.23 5. What is the third thing we're to do? v.24 6. What's the fourth thing we're to do? v.25a 7. What's the fifth thing we're to do? v.25b
B. Think:
C. Comment:If you search through Hebrews looking up all the exhortations, you will find plenty in chapters 2 to 6 but a dearth in chapters 7 to 9. This is because those latter chapters and the first half of chapter 10 are doctrinal argument. That's why today's reading starts with “Therefore”. All that follows is based on what's gone before. Because (1) Jesus has opened the way to heaven for us by his shed blood, and because (2) he is our high priest who speaks on our behalf, we therefore have the confidence to come to God. If perhaps we take this for granted, this ability to come to God in prayer without fear but confidently, we need to read the previous chapters again. We should hang on to this hope that we have of sharing eternity with Him, because it is a sure hope built on a strong foundation (the previous chapters). But there is also a person-to-person outcome of all this as well. There are 5 “let us” exhortations in these latter verses and 3 of them are to do with being part of the church. We are: 1. to stir one another on, 2. to ensure we keep meeting together, and 3. to encourage one another. The isolated Christian cannot be stirred on to greater things, the isolated Christian becomes discouraged. No we need each other.
D. Application:
Chapter: Hebrews 10 Passage: Hebrews 10:26-31
A. Find Out: 1. What does continual sinning mean? v.26 2. What can be expected? v.27 3. What happened under the law of Moses? v.28 4. What 3 descriptions are given of present-time sinning? v.29 5. What had the Scriptures said? v.30 6. So what conclusion does the writer make? v.31
B. Think:
C. Comment:From exhortation we now move again to clear warning. The book of Hebrews has warning after warning and this one is reminiscent of that found in chapter 6. Observe first it is a warning against DELIBERATE RECURRING sinning, not against an occasional misdemeanour where the enemy has tricked us. No, this refers to a deliberate act of the will to consciously go against God and do what is known to be wrong. How do we know if it is wrong? If the word of God says so! Very often your conscience will also tell you (but that isn't infallible, you can sear your conscience by constant abuse so it is no longer effective). So what are the consequences of this deliberate ongoing rejection of God? Very simply, there is no sacrifice that covers that sort of sin. These persons have consciously made themselves enemies of God and therefore all they can expect is the eternal destiny of an enemy of God! Don't come up with anything about a harsh God here, for this is a clear and deliberate rejection of God by the sinner. They make the choice! They reject Jesus, they reject his sacrifice for them, they reject the Holy Spirit who seeks to draw them back. No, be quite clear, this person has foolishly rejected their entire inheritance. It's their fault!
D. Application:
Chapter: Hebrews 10 Passage: Hebrews 10:32-39
A. Find Out:
1. What does he ask his readers to remember? v.32 2. What had happened to them? v.33a 3. What had they also done? v.33b,34 4. So what does he exhort them to do? v.35,36 5. What encouragement does he give? v.37 6. How will the righteous live and what warning does he give? v.39
B. Think:
C. Comment:Moving on from giving a severe warning against falling away into apostasy, the writer now uses various other forms of encouragement to stir his readers to go on in the faith. First he LOOKS BACK. He reminds them of the earliest days of their faith, how they stood for the Lord despite the opposition. They had been publicly insulted, even persecuted, even had their property taken away and some put in prison. Being a Christian had been tough, but they had stood against these things. They had put up with all those things simply because they knew that what they had was better than all of the things the world could offer. Very well, implies the writer, if you went through all that and survived, don't be put off now. Next he LOOKS FORWARD. Look, he says, if you hang on you will be rewarded by God, you will receive all that God has promised His children, and not only that, remember that the Lord himself will be returning sometime as well, so you want to be ready for him when he comes. Remember, you've been called to a life of faith. For each of us we need to be encouraged by these two aspects. First we can look back and remember and give thanks for all that God has done for us so far, but remember, there's much more to come which will yet be rewarded by God!
D. Application:
Chapter: Hebrews 11 Passage: Hebrews 11:1-3
A. Find Out:
1. How does the writer define faith? v.1 2. To whom may we look for examples of faith? v.2 3. What are we to understand by faith? v.3
B. Think:
C. Comment:The writer has just said that the righteous live by faith, so now he starts speaking about faith. Faith is THE key ingredient to the Christian life, so it's important that we understand it. First, faith is “being sure”. When you have faith you are confident about something. Second, faith is to be sure of what you cannot see, of what is yet to come, of the hope that is ours. Paul's letter to the Romans tells us that faith comes by hearing. When God speaks we hear and respond. Faith is the positive response to what God says. It may be we read what He says in Scripture, it may be that we hear His Spirit within, it may be He speaks a prophetic word. Believing Him and acting on what He says is faith. To see examples of faith we only have to turn to the Bible which is filled with people who responded in faith. Chapter 11 is filled with examples of people who “lived by faith”. All Christians are called to “live by faith” (see again 10:38 ). Even before there were people though, we were told that God created all things. Because we can't see Him and because we weren't there, we have to take that by faith. The Bible says it, so we believe it! But is belief the same as faith? No because faith, we said, was responding to what God says. (see also Jas 2:18). How do we respond to this truth? By praising God for what He has done in Creation, giving thanks for His provision and by seeing ourselves as stewards of His Creation, using His world remembering it is His! D. Application:
Chapter: Hebrews 11 Passage: Hebrews 11:4-7
A. Find Out:
1. What did Abel do by faith? v.4a 2. How do we know this? v.4b 3. Who else are we to see as a man of faith, and why? v.5 4. What principle does the writer state? v.6 5. How did Noah show his faith? v.7a 6. What was the consequence of that? v.7b
B. Think:
C. Comment:The writer now starts out on a long list of Old Testament saints who demonstrated faith. The first was Abel who brought an offering from his flock. How do we know he acted in faith? Well first, both he and his brother brought offerings, which indicates that they must have been told to do it by God. Second, God accepted the way Abel brought his and rejected Cain's. Cain just brought “some of the fruits of the soil”, but Abel brought the firstborn of his flock. He responded to God by bringing the very first of the produce of his flock. This was an indication of his heart. He was responding in faith. The second mentioned is Enoch. Not much is written of Enoch but he's the first man to “walk with God” which indicates his relationship of faith with God. Jude v.14,15 tells us that Enoch also prophesied which was an act of faith. The third example given is that of Noah. God warned Noah that he was going to flood the world and told him to prepare. Noah, who also “walked with God”, responded in faith and built the ark. Each of these three men responded to God - and they were each rewarded in their different ways - and were commended as men of faith. The emphasis in each case is on relationship with God. In this they heard God and responded positively to what He had said. This is faith.
D. Application:
Chapter: Hebrews 11 Passage: Hebrews 11:8-12
A. Find Out:
1. How did Abraham first express faith? v.8 2. How did he next express faith? v.9 3. What does the writer say he was looking for? v.10 4. How further did Abraham express faith? v.11 5. What was the result of all this? v.12
B. Think:
C. Comment:The writer continues to bring illustrations, from the Old Testament, of men who expressed faith. He now cites Abraham and gives three illustrations of his faith in action. Abraham's first example is leaving his home to go somewhere he doesn't know. We said faith is responding positively to what God says. In Genesis we've seen that God told Abraham to go, so he went. That was faith. The second example was settling in the promised land. Again God told him, when he had arrived, that this was the land, so he stayed there. He wavered once (Gen 12:10 ) but he held on there. In fact at the end of his life when he is looking for a wife for Isaac, he reiterated that this was the land they were to be in (Gen 24:7). The third example of Abraham's faith was in believing that they could have children. Sarai, his wife, was barren (Gen 11:30 ) and seemed unable to have children. For over thirty years God kept speaking to Abraham and Abraham and Sarah tried to have children. This was faith! God spoke, Abraham believed AND acted on that belief. Yes, there were times when he and Sarah wavered (Gen 15:2,3 16:2) but eventually the son was born as promised, when Sarah was well past child-bearing age! This is the faith God calls us to. Thus in three ways, in these verses, Abraham heard God and responded to Him positively. This is faith!
D. Application:
Chapter: Hebrews 11 Passage: Hebrews 11:13-16
A. Find Out:
1. What was the common thing about each of these people? v.13a 2. How did they view their position on earth? v.13b 3. What do such people show? v.14 4. Why weren't they referring to the country they left? v.15 5. Instead, what were they looking for? v.16a 6. What has God prepared for them? v.16b
B. Think:
C. Comment:The writer has just said that Abraham had looked forward to a new society of God's people. Now the writer goes on to say each of these “people of faith” were the same: they each saw themselves as aliens on the earth. They each had encountered God and, as a result of that encounter, longed to be with Him in a better place than they now had. Each of them had a yearning for something better than they were experiencing once they had met God. It was as if there was an echo of heaven in them once they had a relationship with God and they wanted something more than the imperfect world in which they were living. Each of them died still wanting that, they hadn't received their yearning on earth. If it had been a yearning for what they had left behind they could have gone back to it, but it was a yearning for something yet in the future. Why is the writer saying all this? Because near the end of chapter 10 he had been exhorting his readers to persevere so they would go on to receive what was promised (10:36). This whole chapter is to encourage the readers to go on, to hold on in an imperfect world so they would eventually receive the perfect as their inheritance in heaven. Our future doesn't only include the years we have on earth, it also includes the glorious community of God in eternity. Hold on! It IS coming.
D. Application:
Chapter: Hebrews 11 Passage: Hebrews 11:17-22
A. Find Out:
1. How had Abraham also exercised faith? v.17 2. Why was that amazing? v.18 3. What did Abraham reason? v.19 4. How had Isaac exercised faith? v.20 5. How had Jacob exercised faith? v.21 6. How had Joseph exercised faith? v.22
B. Think:
C. Comment:The writer moves on using the examples of the old patriarchs of Genesis next. Three times previously he cited Abraham (see two studies back) and now he adds a fourth instance, that of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Again the key elements of our definition are there: God speaks and Abraham believes and acts. That was faith. That, in fact, was a major act of faith because all his hopes of God's promises being fulfilled were in Isaac. But Abraham believed God - and acted. Faith! Next came Isaac (see Jacob's Story in the Bible Alive series). When Isaac blesses Jacob and then Esau, it is clear that he is prophesying their future; it is as if he is hearing God for their future and declaring it on earth. He hears God and acts (speaks), i.e. faith! Then there was Jacob doing the same things with the two sons of Joseph. He obviously heard God by the way he acted. Yet another example from this “Family of Faith”! Finally there was Joseph. The Lord had spoken to his family so, in his dying moments, he ensures that they will take his bones back to the land God has promised them. God spoke, Joseph believed and acted on that belief, i.e. faith! Each of these men heard God and acted accordingly. That is faith!
D. Application:
Chapter: Hebrews 11 Passage: Hebrews 11:23-28
A. Find Out:
1. How did Moses' parents exercise faith? v.23 2. How did Moses act in faith as he grew up? v.24 3. What did he choose? v.25 4. What did he regard, how and why? v.26 5. How did he later exercise faith? v27 6. And how had he exercised faith on the way? v.28
B. Think:
C. Comment:The writer moves on from the patriarchs to Moses. From his birth there seemed to be something special about him, his parents sensed it. Some think his father had a revelation from God about him. Whether it was specific revelation or just a general sense of this child's destiny, these parents “heard” from God and acted accordingly. This was faith. When Moses grew up in the court of Pharaoh, something within him made him aware that the Hebrews were his people and he wanted to be with them. He goes to them and identifies with them. The outcome was that he had to leave the country hastily. The Bible indicates that all he sensed about his people came from God. He was acting in faith when he went to them. God spoke, so he went. After forty years in the wilderness looking after sheep God spoke again and Moses acted and the outcome was the people of Israel being delivered from Egypt . The culminating point was when each Hebrew family sacrificed a lamb and the destroying angel “Passed-over” them. They lived (were saved) by an act of faith. God had instructed them and they acted. That was faith. At each key point of Moses' life he exercised faith. Remember, the wonder of this is that each time the first thing that happened was that God spoke. Faith is simply responding to Him.
D. Application:
Chapter: Hebrews 11 Passage: Hebrews 11:29-32
A. Find Out:
1. How had Israel first exercised faith? v.29 2. How had they later exercised faith? v.30 3. How had Rahab exercised faith? v.31 4. Who else were cited as men of faith? v.32
B. Think:
C. Comment:The writer relentlessly pushes on with even more examples of faith from the Old Testament. First he cites Israel 's miraculous escape through the Red Sea. What happened? God spoke to Moses and told him what to do and Moses and Israel obeyed. As they went to do it, the Lord moved and the waters were parted. Note the ingredients yet again: God speaks, man believes and acts. That is faith. Next comes the taking of Jericho. The same ingredients are there again. The Lord spoke to Joshua telling him how to march round Jericho . Joshua believed, the people obeyed, and God performed the miracle. This was faith in operation yet again. Then comes the instance of Rahab who lived in Jericho . Her “hearing” was slightly different. She had heard what God had been doing and she simply believed. She knew inside herself that what she had heard was true, and therefore she acted accordingly. The result was that she was saved and not destroyed with the other inhabitants of the city when Israel came in. At this point it is as if the writer realises that he could go on and on for pages and pages, citing all these Old Testament saints. He simply refers to a few more names before moving on. The point is that the Bible is full of instances of people who lived by faith, people who heard God and adjusted their lives accordingly. This is vital for our understanding. That is why so many examples are given.
D. Application:
Chapter: Hebrews 11 Passage: Hebrews 11:33-40
A. Find Out:
1. What 8 or 9 things did these people do? v.33,34 2. What happened to some women? v.35a 3. What happened to others? v.35b-37a 4. How did many live? v.37b,38 5. What was common to all of them? v.39 6. What had God planned? v.40
B. Think:
C. Comment:As he winds up this section of illustrations of faith, the writer summarises the sorts of lives these people led. The first set of descriptions follow a group of names of those who were all leaders. Therefore these ones triumphed in battle, brought order to the nation and received what God had promised, But then at the end of the names he just mentions “the prophets”, and they tended to have a more difficult life, avoiding being eaten by lions (Daniel), or being burnt in the flames or being put to death by the sword. All of these did what they did because they heard God, they knew God, they had a relationship with God, and responded to Him, i.e. they moved in faith, and for this they are commended. Verses 35 to 38 show us an even harder picture, of those who were rejected for their relationship with the Lord. They were mocked, tortured, even put to death for their faith. They lived as outcasts. Why? because they had heard something and knew there was a better way than the life of sin that the rest of the world was living. They held on, they persevered, they rejected the world's lifestyle because within them they had the yearning for something better. Yet on this earth that something never came. It was to be an eternal inheritance. These were people who heard God and were never the same again. This is faith!
D. Application:
RECAP: "Go by Faith" - Heb 10:19 - 11:40
SUMMARY :
In this second group of 11 studies we have seen :
COMMENT :At 10:19 the writer moves away from doctrinal explanation of what God has done through Christ (doing away with the need for regular sacrifices), to exhortations on how to live: holding fast to the faith, not allowing sin to continue, and to persevere in the face of difficulties. He then starts on a massive explanation of faith (being at the heart of the Christian's life) with many examples from the Old Testament to provoke and challenge us. Faith is hearing God and responding positively to Him, i.e. being obedient to what He says.
LESSONS?1. Christ has opened the way into God's presence. 2. Deliberate sin is outright rebellion. 3. Perseverance is helped by remembering God's past provision. 4. Perseverance is helped by remembering God will reward. 5. Faith is responding to what God says.
PRAY :Declare your intention to hold fast, reject sin and persevere. Ask God to help you hear more clearly what He says, and to help you be obedient to what you hear.
PART 3 : "Hang on in!"In the final Part, the writer encourages us to hold on, even when we're being disciplined by God, to be holy in the light of Old Testament experiences, and then to work it all out in a variety of practical every day ways.
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