Hebrews
Introduction
Why
study the book of Hebrews?
Have you read The Hunger Games?
Imagine coming into that story in book two.
Knowing absolutely nothing about Catniss or
Peeta.
Not knowing their history or the
relationship between them.
Knowing nothing about the Capitol,
President Snow, Haymitch, Gail, or Prim. Not knowing that Catniss not only
willingly took Prim’s place in the Games but the experience of the Games
themselves.
Knowing the history behind the story adds a
depth to understanding.
When choosing for Bible Study my preference would almost always be to
study an epistle or a gospel.
A gospel
because it gives such a rich picture of the humanity and deity of Christ; an epistle,
(that is a letter written by one of the apostles) because they contain such
practical application to the Christian life, for what is needed for today. I
have never been much to concern myself as to the why; I am mostly interested in
the how.
But saying that; I know that the Bible needs to be treated as a whole
book. Mentally, we can separate the Old Testament from the New Testament. But God doesn’t separate them. The O.T. points to the N.T. and one can’t fully grasp who Jesus is and what the Jews were freed from without understanding the O.T. and learning the history and relationships it contains.
It would be like coming into a movie in the
middle and trying to get an accurate picture of the major characters and what
has gone on before.
Hebrews is a wonderful book to study
because it gives the back story if
you will for us of what the Jewish religion and tradition meant and how
Christ’s coming impacted them in every way; spiritually, culturally, socially
and even economically.
Setting
the Scene:
The author of Hebrews is unclear. He makes
no mention of who he is in the letter. What we do know is that he is completely
familiar with the Jewish religious system and that he and his readers knew each
other because in chapter 6:9 he calls them beloved
and in 13:18 he expresses
the hope that he will be returned to them soon.
We also know that Paul’s aide Timothy was known to both
of them as in 13:23 he calls Timothy, “our brother.” He is also believed to be
a “second generation” believer because he refers to his conversion as one who
wasn’t converted to Christianity first hand as those who had actually
encountered Jesus. Regarding time period that it was written, Timothy was still alive because he refers to him so somewhere around A.D. 75?
Who received the letter?
Well, since the book is called Hebrews because when it was written it simply said “to the Hebrews,” I think it would be safe to assume that the people that received it were a group of Hebrews.
Some were believers in Jesus, some were unbelievers that were intellectually convinced of the gospel but had not put their faith in Jesus and some were unbelievers who were attracted to the gospel but who had reached no final conviction about Him.
However, the primary group addressed was Hebrew Christians who suffered rejection and persecution by fellow Jews.
The Situation: This letter was written to Jewish Christians who were experiencing severe persecution and because of that and some false teaching they were in danger of “falling away” from the truth.
For a first century Jew to become a believer in Jesus required great sacrifice.
They were expelled from the synagogue which meant that their children were not able to go to the synagogue school; they may have lost their means of employment in areas controlled by the Jews. Accepting Jesus broke up families. It may be similar to the losses that a Muslim experiences when he/she convert to Christianity in religiously oppressed countries.
Also the Jewish high priest had the authority in Judea and in some other provinces to throw troublesome Jews in jail. At first, these Hebrew Christians joyfully accepted persecution;
Hebrews 10:32-34:
32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possession"
After time had passed, the persecution became too much to handle and their endurance weakened.
Hebrews 10:35
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back,I will not be pleased with him.”
The Hebrew Christians were an immature group of believers that were facing many temptations.
~For one thing they were becoming lazy. Hebrews 6:12.
“We want each of
you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope
sure. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who
through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
Secondly
they had begun to
grow weary and lose heart.Hebrews 12:3. Their initial zeal was beginning to cool.
12 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Thirdly
they had not matured in their faith.
Hebrews 5:12-14. “In fact, though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all
over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on
milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about
righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant
use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Some of them had stopped meeting together (Hebrews 10:25) and sadly
Some
were about to give up their faith entirely. (Hebrews 3:12)
12
“See
to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns
away from the living God.” They were also facing the temptation of going back to the traditions of Judaism.
One of the purposes of this letter is to persuade them how foolish that would be. Imagine me trying to persuade you that you should give up your comforts,
perhaps relationships in your family, your reputation and maybe even your life.
If I was trying to persuade you to do that, you would need to know that I had something far superior to offer.
In the first 8 chapters the author is persuasive that Christ is supreme and that He is worth any sacrifice.
The
overarching theme of Hebrews is the supremacy of Christ and our responsibility
as His followers to grow up into mature faith filled believers.
Christ is superior
to the angels and all Old Testament characters. He is superior to any Old Testament institution
or ritual.Hebrews is a book that not only defines faith but illustrates it as well. In Hebrews chapter 11 the famous hall of faith is rehearsed. During this study we will have the opportunity to go back into the Old Testament and examine those who lived by faith and be inspired by them.
The
author of Hebrews has four purposes for writing:
1. To remind them
that salvation and eternal life only come through Jesus.2. That He is worth any suffering that they may be enduring.
3. That there are huge blessings to being a follower of Jesus.
4. That we need to take faith seriously, the warning is that if we turn away, God’s judgment will be upon them.
Of course the purpose of Bible Study is not just for knowledge. The purpose is to allow what we read and discover to transform us into the women God wants us to become.
My prayer is that as we look at this book together we will examine ourselves.
~Are we afraid of suffering or are we willing to suffer to be brought closer to Jesus?
~Are we in danger of “falling away?”
~Are we weary and losing heart?
~Do we recognize
the supremacy of Christ and give Him first place in our lives?
~Do we live with
eternity in mind?Discussion Questions:
Define faith.
What are some things
in which you place your faith?
What makes faith
difficult?
Many opinions
abound about who Jesus is. What are some common ideas about the identity of
Jesus that you have heard?Who do you believe Jesus is and why?
Homework: Read through the book of Hebrews. Concentrate on Chapters 1 and 2. Use the S.O.A.P. method of Bible Study. Take note of the supremacy of Christ. Begin a list of the ways that the author says that Christ is superior.
S.O.A.P.
Write out and take note of any verses that
stand out to you.
Observation:
What do you observe about the scripture you are
reading, especially those that are significant to you?
Application:
How can you apply those verses to your life
today?
Prayer:
Write out a prayer that shares with God how you
can apply the truth of your observation and application to your life today.
