Christian
Teaching Outline Week 8
The Joy in Responsibility
(An In-Depth Study of Hebrews)
Commentary
Community Project
Hebrews 3:7-19
Outline
Verse 6… We are His household IF, We hold fast in Hope. Therefore, (picking up in verse 7) Don’t be like those who didn’t enter the Promise land. The point of verse 14 is: If you are born again, you WILL endure faithful to the end. Same as John states in 1 John 2:19; They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. Same as Paul states in Philippians 1:6; And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. However, (Verse 12) Persevering involves vigilance We must be “taking care” in our daily lives That “taking care” happens in community and is God’s design (Verse 13) God uses means by which we endure and verse 13 states that YOU are the means of another’s perseverance. How the Cross and Eternal Security come together: Luke 22:20 ---------- Jeremiah 32:40 LIFE APPLICATION: To run from community is to run from God’s design to keep you. Assurance of salvation is directly linked to necessity of community. The most awesome life is to live in this beautiful design.
Synopsis and Homework Week 7
The author of the book of Hebrews attests to the Scriptures being the very Word of God when chapter 3 verse 7 opens our study with the words… “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says”. The proceeding verses are a direct quote from Psalm 95. By implication then, God wrote the Psalms (and the rest of Scripture). Don’t overlook this amazing truth.
The Bible, though penned by human hands, is not man’s words about God. It is God’s word about Himself. To open the Bible and read is to step into the presence of God. That is why Romans 10:17 says;
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Psalm 95 and 96 were utilized as a call to worship in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem. Both paint glorious pictures of our God and both make very serious warnings about those with hearts that fall away from God’s Glory.
The author of Hebrews has our best interest at heart with the very serious warnings that we encountered in chapter 2 verse 1 and now in chapter 3 verses 7 through 19. The book of Hebrews paints a majestic picture of Jesus and announces stern warnings to all who do not treasure Him.
So, Hebrews is teaching us that true faith, saving faith, is enduring faith. So far we have seen that God uses (but not limited too) two “means” by which our faith WILL endure to the end. The first being a heavenly host of angels as life long helpers (chapter 1 verse 14). The second is His Word (the Bible) as stated in chapter 2 verse 1 and chapter 3 verses 7-8, 15 as warnings.
It is clear the author of Hebrews does not think a born again believer can lose their salvation. In fact, verse 6b and verse 14 teach just the opposite. However, they both teach eternal security not by looking to the past, but look to the future as proof one is truly part of the house of God.
This is the way all believers must live! In community, in the Word, growing in faith each day. This life is a war. The enemy, the devil, would have us drift blissfully into hell. Instead, we swim with all our might upstream, fighting against the schemes and darkness of this world. The reason we fight to persevere is not because we may be lost, but to prove we are not.
HOMEWORK:
Read Hebrews 3:7-19 again. Now focus on verse 12 and answer the following question:
Is verse 12 a “throw away” verse for the Christian? If not, why not?
The Joy in Responsibility Week 7 (Audio and Video)
Teaching Outline Week 7
The Joy in Responsibility
(An In-Depth Study of Hebrews)
Commentary
Don’t Be Like Those Guys
Hebrews 3:7-19
Outline
Reminder from verses 1-6: Jesus is greater than Moses Jesus made Moses Jesus is God Jesus is the Son and Heir Verse 6… We are His household IF, We hold fast in Hope. Therefore, (picking up in verse 7) Don’t be like those who didn’t enter the Promise land. Psalm 95:8-11 (Used as a call to worship in the days of worship at the Temple) Verse 7 – 11: These people: a. Heard the voice of God b. Was motivated to follow c. Saw God’s mighty works d. Had unbelieving hearts e. Didn’t make it in the end LIFE APPLICATION: Living daily in Christ is all important. Without the Bible we drift away from God. Do not treat the Grace of God with contempt. Do not try to fix your behavior, just fall in love with Jesus!
The Normal Christian Life
Watchman Nee is one of my favorite authors. His book, The Normal Christian Life, summarizes in Biblical detail what is “normal” for a Christian. I had only one problem when I finished reading…my normal day didn’t match the normal Christian life I had just read about. My normal day was a lot more me and fell far short of Galatians 2:20;
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I remember thinking after the first few pages, “I need to fix my normal day!” However, by the end of the book Nee lovingly and firmly brought to light what needed fixing. It wasn’t my outward actions, it was my heart. The truth is, Jesus isn’t only the Savoir that died for me; He’s not only the Savior that rose for my justification; He is the Savior that dwells within me. He is a present Help. He is constant Friend. We abide together! Today, and every day I spend on this planet is a day I need to be dead to self and alive in Christ!
And so, we pick up tomorrow, Wednesday January 8th: 11:45am and 6:00pm, in the Word and pray our hearts melt in its truth and mold our normal Christian life.
New Year’s Resolutions
I heard a statistic regarding the average American and new years resolutions…only 8% of us keep any one of the resolutions on our list. In other words, if you have 10 resolutions there is only an 8% chance you will keep even 1 of the 10. If you have ever wondered why depression is so wide spread in our culture, look no further than your list of abandoned resolutions.
The problem with New Year’s resolutions is they call for “external change” and give no regard to the power by which external change takes place. May I suggest that unless your heart change, external change is not sustainable.
I know of no other agent of change for the heart and soul of a person than the Word of God. That said, I offer the only list of resolutions necessary:
- May I love and adore the Word of God and the portrait of Jesus Christ it paints.
- May my adoration of Jesus be manifest to the world around me.
Please join us as we continue our study of the book of Hebrews this Wednesday; 11:45am and 6:00pm.
Investing in 2014
Unlike money, all of us have the same 24 hour allotment to invest. Since it’s wise to invest about 8 of those hours in rest and sleep each day, we all come to the marketplace with very limited resources.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics here is how the average American invests their day:
Now, I am going to make a bold assertion: there is little we can do to re-allocate time investment reflected in the chart. The chart reflects who we are physically and who we are as a culture. In other words, physically we must eat, sleep, keep our homes, and care for those in our charge…culturally we must work 8 hours and participate in sports and leisure activities. This is what it means to be an American. There is little we can do on the average day to break out of this mold.
That being said, I want to address the time slice in the chart labeled as “other”. The average American has 1.6 hours each day that is not ruled by the physical or dominated by culture. About an hour and a half daily is yours to invest any way you choose. It may not sound like a lot of time to invest but look at it this way; one could read over twenty books a year if you only invested 15 minutes each day to reading.
I believe one thing is clear, based on the limit of the resource, one must invest this time slice wisely. It is my desire that you would invest some of this resource with us. Patriarch Project exists to change lives with the Word of God and with interacting with each other.
Someone said we change the world one life at a time. Please watch this TED Talk from a man who grew up in South Africa working in his family’s tourism business:
The Joy in Responsibility Week 6 (Audio and Video)
Teaching Outline Week 6
The Joy in Responsibility
(An In-Depth Study of Hebrews)
Commentary
Consider Jesus
(Christmas Edition)
Hebrews 3:1-6
Outline
Verse 1:
Consider Jesus, the faithful Apostle and High Priest
Let’s take a look at a favorite Christmas hymn: O, Come All Ye Faithful!
O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the King of angels; Refrain: O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord. O come all ye faithful: Hebrews 2:16-17 Jesus was first faithful and makes a way for us to join the faithful! Joyful and triumphant: Hebrews 2:14-15 No longer slaves to death and sin. O come ye: Hebrews 3:1 Consider this Jesus! Behold him, born the King of angels: Hebrews 1:13 Jesus, reigning victorious King And now the refrain: O come let us adore him ADORE: Shepherds (Luke Chapter 2:20) Smell like manure, not incense Magi (Matthew Chapter 2:10-11) More like wicked wizards than kindly kings ACKNOWLEDGE: Roman King (Matthew Chapter 2:3) Wanted Jesus dead. Jewish Religious Elite (Matthew Chapter 2:4) Really wanted Jesus dead! LIFE APPLICATION: This Christmas, do you adore Jesus or simply acknowledge him? (Hebrews 2:1)
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