Bear the Reproach!

Bear the Reproach!

This Palm Sunday, we look at a savior who entered the holy city, only to leave it again. The shouts of the crowds and the bustle of the elite's religion didn't entice Jesus to stick around. Jesus was compelled by a deep compassion for all people, especially the lost. Jesus was constantly finding his way to the margins. He constantly drifted toward the outsiders on the edges of society. Hebrews 13 tells us that he "suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people through his own blood." Likewise, we should go to him outside the camp, bear the reproach he endured, and there find our hearts encouraged by his grace.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Read Hebrews 13:1-9

1. Read all of Hebrews 13

2. What makes you weary? How has trying to keep up with the culture expended your energy?

3. What risk do you need to take to love the outsiders? What broken part of the world do you feel drawn toward?

4. What keeps you from it? What do you need to repent of?

Mar 24, 2024 - Gabe Shippam

Run With Endurance!

Run With Endurance!

Hebrews 11 is a long list of biblical figures who “by faith” conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, quenched the power of fire, and were tortured unto death. They were made strong out of weakness, because of the one in whom they placed their faith. Hebrews 12 turns the corner and says “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses… let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Chapter 12 is a call to keep our eyes on Jesus, keep our faith in Jesus, and repent of our desire to quit and drop out of the race. We all face hardships, we all struggle with sin, we’re all disciplined by the Lord for our good, and as a result, we’ll all be tempted to quit at some point along the way. The challenge of Hebrews 12 is to repent of that desire to quit: “lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,” consider Jesus and the opposition he faced, consider the great cloud of witnesses around him, and carry on in God’s strength.

Derek Redmond: Father Helps Him Finish After a Mid-Race Injury | Barcelona 1992 Olympics

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Read Hebrews 11-12

1. How does the author define “faith” and what difference does faith make?

2. Hebrews 11 is a long list of biblical figures who exercised faith. What effect does that list have on you? Which examples stir you the most?

3. Hebrews 12:1-17. Which of the following discourages you the most in your “race”?

• Carrying unnecessary weight (verse 1)

• Persistent sin that “clings so closely” (verse 1)

• Opposition from the world / ungodly people (verse 3)

• The loving discipline of the Father (verses 5-11)

4. What does it look like for you to “fix your eyes on Jesus”? (verse 2) What does that mean and what effect does it have?

5. PRAY for one another, that God would relieve burdens, renew strength, and give fresh endurance as we fix our eyes on Him. As you pray, personally confess and repent of any desire or temptation you have to quit your race, and ask for God’s help.

Mar 17, 2024 - Matt Deisen

Draw Near!

Draw Near!

Hebrews 8-10 is a rich exposition of the supremacy of Jesus and his sacrifice over the sacrificial system and high priests of Judaism. The old system was a mixed bag: God gave his people a way to deal with the sin problem, but it actually served to continuously remind them of the sin problem. It was simply insufficient, unable to really cleanse the conscience of the worshipper, and sin's guilty weight remained. But Jesus, by means of his self-offering, has done perfectly and in reality what the priests could only do imperfectly and figuratively. By offering himself as a perfect sacrifice, through the shedding of his own sinless blood, Jesus removed sin's weight and condemnation, and opened full, free, and unfettered access to God! Therefore, we can draw near to God with assurance and we can stir one another to love and good deeds.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Read Hebrews 8-10

1. Read all of Hebrews 8-10 this week. What seems to be the author's main concerns?

2. What does Hebrews 10:19-21 tell us about Jesus and his work? How is it better than the OT system?

3. Consider the commands in v.22-25. How can we be this kind of church together:

• Draw Near: What factors or beliefs contribute to your hesitancy in fully approaching God's presence?

• Hold Fast: How can you personally and as a community fight to keep Jesus our main thing?

• Consider One Another: How can you help build the kind of community described in v.24-25?

4. What is the warning in v.26-31, and to whom does it apply? How is it the opposite of v.19-25?

Mar 10, 2024 - Steve Hart

Go on to Maturity!

Go on to Maturity!

Hebrews 5-7 contains one of the strongest warnings in the entire New Testament, a text that has been a cause of anxious concern for disciples across the ages. On one hand, the authors are befuddled at the ongoing immaturity of the church, and are challenging the seeming passivity: They are like nursing infants when they should be mature adults helping to feed others. On the other hand, they know this church is capable of love, service, and persevering faith. The call is to grow up, becoming a people solidly grounded in the basics of faith and fully equipped for everyday lives of service and ministry. In the middle, the authors warn that what starts as a refusal to grow up can become an inability to grow up, where our hearts become hard and we sever ties with Jesus altogether. There's only one solution: Go forward, in faith and patience, having the full assurance of hope in Jesus!

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Read Hebrews 5-7

1. What seems to be the author's main concerns?

2. What problem is the author addressing in 5.11-14? What does this kind of immaturity look like?

3. What is the solution in 6.1-3? How well have you laid this foundation in your own life?

4. How can we avoid becoming the people described in 6.4-9?

5. In what ways are you content with immaturity? What does it look like to repent from that?

Mar 3, 2024 - Steve Hart

Enter Rest!

Enter Rest!

The unknown author of Hebrews has a 2-fold purpose in this profound letter: To wake us from spiritual slumber and to compel us to see the all-sufficiency of Jesus. Built around 6 strong warning texts, Hebrews is designed to call the reader to wake up, pay attention to their spiritual state, and turn from anything and everything that is clouding their vision and numbing their experience of the all-sufficiency of Jesus. Hebrews 3 and 4 tell us that the Word of God is sharper than a double-edged sword, cutting to the deepest places within us, performing surgery in the human heart - but only if we let it. Hence, the resounding warning of these chapters is “do not harden your hearts” as the Israelites did in the wilderness. Whenever conviction comes, through God’s Spirit and God’s word, we have a choice to make: will we repent in soft-heartedness and receive the truth, or will we harden our hearts and persist in our sin?

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Read Hebrews 3-4

1. Read all of Hebrews 3 and 4. What do you see as the relationship between repentance and rest?

2. What’s one example of a visible sin/attitude/behavior that you’re repenting of during this Lent season? (example from teaching: stinginess)

3. Can you identify a deeper trust issue that lies beneath it? (ex: struggling to trust in God’s loving provision)

4. Is God revealing a deeper wound that needs to be healed? (ex: childhood neglect, leading to lifelong fears about provision). Take time with others to pray about these things!

Feb 25, 2024 - Matt Deisen

Pay Attention!

Pay Attention!

The unknown author of Hebrews has a 2-fold purpose in this profound letter: To wake us from spiritual slumber and to compel us to see the all-sufficiency of Jesus. Built around 6 strong warning texts, Hebrews is designed to call the reader to wake up, pay attention to their spiritual state, and turn from anything and everything that is clouding their vision and numbing their experience of the all-sufficiency of Jesus. In 2:1 we get our first warning — pay attention, lest we drift! — and the author paints a vivid picture of the way we naturally go off-course in following Jesus. Lent is about seeing and naming that drift and making a decision to move the other way. Thankfully, Jesus is eager to help us as we cry out to him in repentance! In repentance, we turn from our distractions and renew our attention and affections in all Jesus is and all he's done for us.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Read Hebrews 2:1-4

1. Read all of Hebrews 1-2 this week. What seems to be the author's main concerns?

2. In 2.1-4, we get our first warning text. What is the main command of the text?

3. In what ways are you most tempted toward distraction and drift?

4. Read Hebrews 2.17-18. What is the posture of Jesus to us in our temptations?

5. "Attention is the beginning of devotion." How will you give your attention to Jesus during this season?

Feb 18, 2024 - Steve Hart