Greetings! Below you will find questions which reference the sermon preached on Sunday, April 19th, 2015 at The Park. This week we studied Hebrews 3 – 4:13. Have someone in your group read this section of scripture.
Each week new questions are posted to track along with the sermons. Work hard to facilitate discussion. Listen to the hearts around the room and close with prayer.
Intro to Hebrews:
The theme of Hebrews is the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as revealer and as mediator of God’s grace. The prologue (1:1–4) presents Christ as God’s full and final revelation, far surpassing the revelation given in the OT. The prophecies and promises of the OT are fulfilled in the “new covenant” (or “new testament”), of which Christ is the mediator. From the OT itself, Christ is shown to be superior to the ancient prophets, to angels, to Moses (the mediator of the former covenant) and to Aaron and the priestly succession descended from him. Hebrews could be called “the book of better things” since the two Greek words for “better” and “superior” occur 15 times in the letter. (www.biblica.com)
Questions for this week:
- Hebrews 3:5-6: Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. If you were a 1st century Jewish follower of Jesus, how difficult would you estimate it was to see Jesus as greater than Moses? What modern day “Moses” do you hold in high regard, potentially threatening your faith in Jesus?
- How do sin and unbelief tie together in the life of a follower of Jesus? Do you consider unbelief to be evil? Why do you think the writer zeros in on these two issues as roadblocks to entering into God’s rest? (see verse 12)
- What role do you currently play in the exhorting of other Christians to live lives that display a belief in Jesus? Is that hard to do? Why or why not?
- Read Hebrews 3:7-11. The Holy Spirit is describing the Jews from Egypt who heard and saw God but chose not to listen or be moved. These people of hardened hearts saw that God literally was with them, but lived their lives as if he wasn’t. Is “practical atheism” a form of this today? Talk about what that term means to you and how we all have struggled with ignoring God at times. What does verse 13 say to do about this heart-hardening that can occur?
- In Chapter 4, the author of Hebrews is touching on larger ideas of rest and redemption and sanctification, but let’s focus on the practical for a moment. Discuss the pattern of actual work and rest that God lays out for us in the Sabbath. What is the value of a day of actual physical rest in regards to relationships, patience, compassion, etc? Read Exodus 23:11. God establishes this pattern even for land to physically recuperate. What is so wonderful about rest? What is so wonderful about God’s rest?
- Discuss 4:12-13. How much of our lives are affected by these verses? Do they play to other life issues like forgiveness (or vengeance, as in Romans 12:19)? Read Galatians 6:7. How much does God see, discern and judge? Why is this scary? Why is this encouraging?