passion

Synopsis and Homework Week 13

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Like Solomon, your prayer life should include requests for wisdom. Life is filled with decisions. It seems as if we journey on life’s roadway from one crossroad to the next. In our text this week, (Hebrews 5:11-14) a serious problem is adjusted to clear focus. Although many people seem to “hang out” with God they don’t have even a basic understanding of who he is. In short, this text paints the image of a people who don’t recognize Jesus even after bumping into him and stepping on his foot. They dress themselves in “I Love Jesus” t-shirts but wouldn’t know him if he walked up and shook their hand.

I can purchase a birthday present for my wife with a high degree of confidence that she’ll enjoy my gift. I have never known her to return an article of clothing that I bought because it wasn’t her taste. Only on rare occasion does she exchange my gift for a different size. It’s not because I’m a genius. It’s because I’ve lived with her for over 30 years. I know from daily, detailed experience her taste in clothing. I know her size. I know how she likes clothes to fill and fit. When standing at the crossroads of gift purchases I get it right almost every time. I love her. She’s very important to me. I want to please her.

That’s really what it means to “drink the pure spiritual milk” of the Word of God and mature into a person that makes decisions with the mind of Christ. Our spiritual senses have been trained over time. Time spent in the Word. Crossroads aren’t bewildering when you have the mind of Christ. Crystal Balls and Tarot Cards are for the ignorant.

HOMEWORK:

Read Numbers 14:20-38

The author of Hebrews draws many examples from the record of Israel in the wilderness from the book of Numbers. Answer the following questions:

The people heard the spy’s bad report after scouting out the Promise Land. They stood at a crossroads; go forward into the Promise Land or turn back. What did God say about these people that should enable them to make the right decision? (verse 22)

 

How did God describe the people of Israel? (verse 23b)

 

How did God describe Caleb? (verse 24)

 

Why do you think Joshua and Caleb had such a different view of God and His promises from the rest of the people?

 

What is Hebrews 5:14 requesting you do?

Teaching Outline Week 13

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The Joy in Responsibility

(An In-Depth Study of Hebrews)

Commentary

Got Milk?

Hebrews 5:11-14 

Outline 

The warning that the author of Hebrews has been repeating at times through the first five chapters is brought into sharp focus:

 

Issue:              Ignorant of even the basic principles of God  (verse 12)

Previous warnings:

2:1 Pay closer attention to the Word

3:1 Consider Jesus

3:8 Don’t harden your hearts

3:12 Take care, lest you have an evil heart of unbelief

4:1 Fear not entering the rest of God

4:11 Strive to enter the rest of God

4:14 Hold fast to your confession

 

Cause:                        Dull of hearing (verse 11)

Dull = Slow, sluggish (6:11-12)

Opposite of Dull is earnest, diligent

Hearing = believing (4:2)

Opposite of hearing is a rejection of the heart

Result:            Adults still living like babies (verse 13)

Milk is good (there’s nothing wrong with the milk)

Not growing by drinking milk is bad (a 20 year old baby has a disease)

Fix:                 Become mature with milk (verse 14)

Start drinking milk!

Be totally satisfied with the milk.

Receive the mind of Christ!

 

Life Application:

Discern between good and evil (Live a discerning lifestyle)

Synopsis and Homework Week 12

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In the days of Jesus’ life on earth he knew his purpose. He knew the need for a prefect once-for-all sacrifice to become the source of eternal salvation to everyone who placed their faith in the Perfect One alone. He knew he was that sacrifice. He knew exactly what John the Baptist was declaring when he pointed to Jesus and cried, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

The author of Hebrews pulls back the curtain on Jesus’ earthly life and we see our worthy Savior walking daily, even minute by minute, with his Father in prayer. The weight of creation itself rested firmly on Jesus’ shoulders in this time of testing. One sin in his 33 years would send the entire salvation plan to the fiery abyss. One sin would end for all time the hope of eternity. The times of Jesus’ testing made famous in the Gospels, in the wilderness and in the garden with Satan, sometimes so overshadows his day to day life that many Christians fail to marvel at the love of our Savior to endure to the end for our sake. O how he loves us!

HOMEWORK:

The label “Christian” means to be like Christ. Many scratch their heads when thinking about his sinless life; most of the time it’s because we think of a Christ-like life as a list of do’s and don’ts. The author of Hebrews paints a much different picture. We see Jesus, with prayers and supplications, crying out to the Father for help. We see Jesus knowing without doubt that God is his only hope. We see Jesus living out his life loving righteousness and hating sin.

Read Romans 7:7 through 8:1

How did knowing the Law affect Paul? (see verses 7-11)

 

What happens to you when you try to live according to a list of do’s and don’ts?

 

Did Paul expect to live a perfect life? (see verses 15-20)

 

What did Paul love and what did Paul hate?

 

Where did Paul place his hope? (see verse 24)

Teaching Outline Week 12

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The Joy in Responsibility

(An In-Depth Study of Hebrews)

Commentary

Obey Him

Hebrews 5:4-10 

Outline 

The main idea in the text comes in verse 9:

Jesus is the source of our eternal salvation.

The surrounding verses put forth Jesus’ credentials…

Honor (vs 4-5)

Appointed by God

Begotten Son

Order (vs 6, 10)

High Priest

Like Melchizedek  (not like Aaron)

Purity (Vs 7-9)

Tested / Proven

Learned Obedience

Made Perfect

 

LIFE APPLICATION:

Obey: The command “obey” doesn’t come with a list of do’s and don’ts. It comes with one imperative; believe!

Take Sin Serious: Like Jesus, pray that sin be put to death in this mortal body.

Synopsis and Homework Week 11

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A mentor taught me that prayer is a “wartime walkie-talkie”, not a bell to ring for the butler. I’m not calling to have my pillow fluffed, I’m asking my Leader, my General, my King instructions for battle. We have already drawn the battle lines in previous chapters. Our battle is against unbelief. We fight to trust. We meditate and pay much closer attention to the Word to believe what it says; to trust in the promises.

The greater our trust, the greater our confidence. The greater our confidence, the more we find ourselves before the Throne of Grace. The more we find ourselves before the Throne of Grace, the more help we receive to fight the battle. The pattern is clear. We don’t strive to do, we strive to believe. The doing comes from resting in the promises.

My help comes from a sympathetic High Priest. I am understood. My leader has been tested in every way that I am tested. I fail often, He never fails. Yet He has pity on me. I don’t arrive to find a mostly annoyed perfectionist when in need of help. I always find the perfect source of help. So, I come with confidence.

HOMEWORK:

Read Matthew 4:1-11

Jesus earthly ministry began with testing. It is the plan from the beginning. Being fully human (and also fully divine) there must be proof that Jesus is the sinless once for all sacrifice for the sin of the world. Notice that the first thing Jesus did, before the accuser was engaged, was fasted and prayed for forty days.

 

The detail of Jesus’ prayer and fasting is not stated in Scripture. However, based on what we have been encouraged to do by the author of Hebrews, what do you think the focus of Jesus’ prayer was to the Father in those forty days?

 

What did Jesus use to do battle with his accuser?

 

 

Synopsis and Homework Week 10

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It is a comforting thought that medical technology will advance to the point one day of simply allowing your body to be scanned by an “all seeing” MRI type device. The device will look into the deepest recesses to assess our overall health. Knowing that not even the smallest cancer cell can escape its penetrating gaze, we joy in the long and healthy life anticipated with its aid.

Upon detecting the unwanted, our miracle device constructs a series of “nanobot” doctors who enter the body through the smallest drop of liquid in the eye. No invasive surgery, no long recovery periods, only busy little robots working silently inside your body. These tiny doctors locate, subdue, and destroy disease like the perfect instruments they are.

Instinctively, the body knows it’s been healed. The morning walk to the office is with light energetic steps. You feel like singing…and you do! You frequently visit the device for continuing medical and health assessment. It becomes part of daily life.

Hebrews chapter four verses twelve and thirteen paints a strikingly similar image of daily life in the Word of God for the believer.  The Word of God, like a sharp penetrating gaze, looks deep into the soul and spirit. Its job is to assess the heart. Like cancer, unbelief can take your life. The Scriptures destroy unbelief and rest the heart firmly on the promises of God.

Instinctively, the heart knows it’s healed. The morning walk to the office is with light energetic steps. You feel like singing…and you do! You frequently visit the Word for continuing spiritual health assessment. It becomes part of daily life.

HOMEWORK:

Read John 8:39-47 (Jesus and the Pharisees argue over who belongs to God and truth)

Sometimes one can see the power of the Word of God in a believer’s life by looking at a negative example. The Pharisees would not hear the Words of Jesus. They didn’t believe. Jesus goes on to explain that they didn’t hear His Words because they couldn’t bear the sound of them. Jesus correctly assessed that they didn’t belong to God. Their father was the devil. Their father is the father of lies.

In verse 42 what does Jesus say about a true child of God in relation to Himself?

In verse 47 what does Jesus say will happen when the Word of God is spoken to a child of God?

Teaching Outline Week 10

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The Joy in Responsibility

(An In-Depth Study of Hebrews)

Commentary

Resting On Promises

Hebrews 4:12-13 

Outline 

The Context of Chapters 2, 3 and 4 (so far):

The main idea is “There is a rest for the people of God” (4:9)

Enter by:

Trusting in the promises of God (4:3)

Trusting comes through the Word by faith (4:2)

Strive to enter that rest (4:11)

2:1 Pay much closer attention [to the Word]

3:1 Consider Jesus…the Apostle [the message, or Word]

3:12 Take care brothers…evil unbelieving heart [not believing the Word]

3:15 Today if you hear His voice [Word], don’t harden your hearts

For… (our focal verses 12 and 13) we are taught about the Word…

About the Word:

Living and Active

Sharper than a double edge sword

Dividing – Soul and spirit, joints and marrow

Discerning – thoughts and intentions of the heart

The point of verse 12 is:

The Word of God penetrates very deep into the whole person

Once deep inside it assesses the heart

The assessment is NOT Good vs. Bad

The assessment is Belief vs. Unbelief

Are you resting on the Promise of Sin or the Promise of God?

 

The point of verse 13 is:

All are exposed in God’s sight. God sees and understands all about all.

However:        Believers are “naked and unashamed”. (Genesis 2:25)

 

LIFE APPLICATION:

Everyone is a promise believer.

There must be a function to assess the promises on which we rest.

Spend time with God’s people allowing the Word to assess us.