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Bible Studies, Hebrews

Hebrews Chapter 3 & 4

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Title – Missing out on the promises of God because of fear disappoints God and cowers us.
Teaching – If repetition is the best teacher, then don’t fail to believe what God promises is true.

Simply Broken Out Summary / Thoughts

Heb 3:1-6  Both Jesus and Moses were faithful to all who were in their “house”, the people to whom they were responsible, but Jesus is even more so, for He created people, and thus made the house, so He has a higher stature than Moses.
3:6 This passage links the house analogy to belief. Note how we boast, like a student who has studied diligently and has the subject so “nailed down” she can’t wait to get to class to let everyone see how eel she understands the subject. That’s what this means.
3:7-11  Here is quoted Psalm 95, written by David, some 400+ years after the Jews were brought out from Egypt, the ten plagues, the Red Sea crossing, yada, yada, yada. If you go through this in Exodus, you find God was pretty upset by their whining out of unbelief, after experiencing miracle after miracle.
3:12-19 v 12 is a marker for falling away. An “evil, unbelieving heart.” The Greek OT (Septuagint uses the term only twice, in Jer 16:12, 18:12. in  there is noted stubbornness. The seems to be willful refusal to hear. “He who has ears to hear” is repeated at least 4 times in the Gospels by Jesus the sower 2x, about John once and the parable of the ludicrous dinner once.So the takeaway is to encourage others to live the faith life, and to avoid sin and encourage others to do the same. How? By breaking the faith barrier.

The Geometry of Faith – the Faith Barrier

The Geometry of Faith
The Geometry of Faith

 

4:1-2 It’s not enough to hear the message (the Gospel), I have to act on it, just as much as once I am saved, to act on God’s promises.
4:3-7 Of all believers alive now or during the Exodus, some (almost all) go through life the hard way, not really believing the clear promises of God, rather than the way Joshua and Caleb took. See Numbers ch 13 and 14 for the details.
4:8-13
Do you understand what a Sabbath rest is? It’s resting from labor, for the unsaved, salvation as a  a way to God, for the believer, that we don’t have to grit and bear the things God has asked us to do as believers, like share the Gospel. There’s an easy button, much like David used with Goliath, relying on God to see him through his fight. There are two different rests: salvation, and sanctification (the process by which we become more Christ-like). 2 Cor 5:7 and Col 2:6 address these.
4:14-16 And don’t think Jesus doesn’t understand this. He does, He cares, He bought the t-shirt!

Memory Verse – One verse you have set to memory.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Application – How will you live out what you have learned?
I (the author, not you the reader) am going to pick up an old habit of journaling, writing down the events God has led me through and proven Himself faithful, so that I can remember those events. They have a habit of fading away otherwise.     Check out this excellent teaching by Hal Lindsey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXQFrBz-wF4

 

Bible Studies, Hebrews

Hebrews Chapter 2

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Title – Two or three summary encapsulations of the chapter
We share a common humanity with Jesus with respect to the angels. His emptied humanity, suffered for us and was tempted, and this brought about salvation. That commonality extends into being able to be a priest for us since He can relate.

Teaching – What does it say? A paragraph breakdown summarized by a single sentence.

The best man for the priest job is One who is like us by choice and willing & able to save.
PassageSummary / Thoughts

Heb  2:2, Acts 7:53
Heb 2:2-3  If the old Law was important to avoid death, then the New Law authenticated by Christ and the miracles showing that authentication (signs, wonders, and gifts)is even more important in the age of grace. John 1:17 1 John 1:1-4
Heb 2:5  The world to come will be ruled by humans, who are now less in rank than the angels, but we don’t have a grasp on the way things will sort out in Christ’s millennial reign on earth.
Heb 2:5-8 quotes Psalms 8:4. The general gist here is that there is order ad ranking amongst humans, angels, and God; this passage seeks to give order to it. This was an echo of the command given in Gen 1:28
Heb 2:9-10 This goes hand in hand with the “emptying out” Jesus did in Phil 2:7-8. He, like we, were demoted below angelic stature for a while, but…
Heb 2:11 Since He (Jesus) is a man, we are then brothers, provided our trust and faith is in Him.
Heb 2:14-18 We have no more fear of death unlike angels, and since like us, can be a priest for us having suffered.

Personal Meaning – How do you interpret the significant passage(s)

My God is not a far off, hands off, unrelating God. He’s been in my shoes

Memory Verse – One verse you have set to memory.
Heb 2:18 – For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. NASB

Application – How will you live out what you have learned?

I’m going to call on Him when I need Him!

Bible Studies, Hebrews

Hebrews Chapter 1

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This is an example of one way to study the Bible. Probably not the best, the only, or anything else, but it does help me get “off the dime” when undergoing serious study. I was shown it at a College Bible study some years ago. Hope you like it.

I intend to post these in this form.

Chapter Summary Bible Study Method
Title  – Two or three summary encapsulations of the chapter

Jesus – God’s best final revelation and His supremacy to angels

Teaching –  What does it say? A paragraph breakdown summarized by a single sentence.

The chapter says thAt Jesus is the best revelation we get on this side of eternity because he not an ordinary angel messenger, but the saving Son of God.
Passage Summary / Thoughts

Hebrews 1:1-4, use Luke 20:9-18 as an illustrate God the Father’s assignment of Jesus as His final, best spokesman.
Heb 1:3  the glory of God is His salvation, in Yeshua, His Son, whose name means God is my salvation.”
Heb 1:4  name: Jesus’ essential person, that is the second person of the Trinity as opposed to the lesser angelic Sons of God (Job 1:6)  or adopted human (Gal 3:26, 4:6)
Heb 1:5-10 quotes Psalms 2:7, and 2 Sam 7:14 among at least 11 other Old Testament quotes. This is strong evidence suggesting the intended audience of the letter was the Jewish Christian
Heb 1:14 Appears to support the idea that we do have “Guardian angels.” 

Personal Meaning –  How do you interpret the significant passage(s)

op. cit. (see above)

Memory Verse –  One verse you have set to memory.

Heb 1:3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. NASB

Application –  How will you live out what you have learned?
Tell others that Jesus is a saving God.

Bible Studies, Feasting, Hebrews

Hebrews – Introduction and Chapter 1

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The Book of Hebrews is the superiority of Jesus Christ contrasted with the Law demonstrated to strengthen the faith of the Christian Jews to endure persecution.

Outline :

  1. The Superiority of the Person of Christ, 1:1-4:16
    1. Christ Is Superior to the Prophets, 1:1-3
        1. In His divine person, 1:5-14
        2. In His saving proclamation, 2:1-4
        3. In His delivering purpose, 2:5-18
    2. Christ Is Superior to Moses, 3:1-6
    3. Christ Is the Supreme Object of Faith, 3:7-4:16
      1. The catastrophe of unbelief, 3:7-19
      2. The consequences of unbelief, 4:1-10
      3. The cure for unbelief, 4:11-16
  2. The Superiority of the Priesthood of Christ, 5:1-10:39
    1. Christ Is Superior in His Qualifications, 5:1-10
    2. Parenthetical Warning: Don’t Degenerate from Christ,  5:11-6:20
    3. Christ Is Superior in the Order of His Priesthood,  7:1-8:13
      1. The portrait of Melchizedek, 7:1-3
      2. The preeminence of the Melchizedek priesthood,  7:4-8:13
    4. Christ Is Superior in His Priestly Ministry,
      1. The earthly priesthood, 9:1-10
      2. Christ’s priesthood, 9:11-14
      3. Christ’s fulfillment of the promise, 9:15-10:18
    5. Parenthetical Warning: Don’t Despise Christ, 10:19-39
  3. The Superiority of the Power of Christ, 11:1-13:19
    1. The Power of Faith in Christ, 11:1-40
      1. The description of faith, 11:1-2
      2. The examples of faith, 11:3-40
    2. The Power of Hope in Christ, 12:1-29
      1. The debatable things of life, 12:1-3
      2. The debatable things of life, 12:1-3
      3. The direction of life, 12:12-17
      4. The drive of life, 12:18-24
      5. The duty of life, 12:25-29
    3. The Power of the Love of Christ, 13:1-19
      1. In relation to social duties, 13:1-6
      2. In relation to spiritual duties, 13:7-19
  4. Concluding Benedictions, 13:20-25

(source: C. Ryrie Study Notes) Schedule: Week 1

Who: Probably Apollos.  When one reads the Greek text of Hebrews it is closer to classical Greek than anything in the NT. Brooke Foss Westcott says of Hebrews: “The language of the Epistle is both in vocabulary and style purer and more vigorous than any other book of the NT….It includes a large number of words which are not found elsewhere [in the NT].” [The Epistle to the Hebrews: the Greek texts with notes and essays (London 1892), p.xliv] “The style is even more characteristic of a practiced scholar than the vocabulary.” [p.xlvi] In my opinion (and many scholars would say this) Hebrews is clearly not Paul’s writing, but scholars have questioned whether the writer was in the “Pauline” school of thought. While there are some “Pauline” motifs in Hebrews, there are also some interesting differences. Along with some other scholars, I think Apollos is a good guess for who wrote the letter, better described as a long exhortation (even a sermon).Source: http://www.churchhistory101.com/feedback/paul-apollos-hebrews.php

Acts 18:24-28 Describes Apollos:

Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. (NASB)

We can see from this passage some of Apollos’ qualities we can emulate:

  • A Jew – To him familial heritage, to us, a brother spiritual Jew
  • Alexandrian – A spiritual Jew in a Gentile culture, also like us
  • Eloquent – See Exodus 4:10-11 and Luke 21:12-16  if you don’t think you can be eloquent.
  • Mighty in the Scriptures – Is there some reason we cannot be?
  • Instructed in the Lord – Same as Mighty
  • Fervent in Spirit – This is a man given to prayer and devotion, fully yielded.
  • Speaking and teaching accurately – A gift of the Spirit
  • The brethren encouraged him – He associated with other Christians, koinonia.
  • Powerfully refuting the Jews in public – he was not cowered by politically correct speech.

See also Acts 4:18-19 on Peter & John’s response to the Sanhedrin. This is very important. The things concerning Jesus – Could you or I show Jesus as Messiah using only the Old Testament?

When: Had to have been prior to the destruction of the Temple by Titus in 70 AD. Hebrews 9:6-7 speaks of the daily sacrifices in the present tense, not past. Heb 13:10, 23 seems to link Timothy’s release to Paul’s time in Rome before his death argues for a date of around 64 to 68.

Where: A good guess is Palestine, but this is based on the assumption that the persecution mentioned in Heb 10:32-34.

Why: See Heb 10:32-39, They had need of endurance, losing faith that God would provide their needs, and therefore … Heb 5:11, they had become dull of hearing, having become “milk drinkers” instead of solid food. Chapter 1: Introduction – Application – Heb 1:1-14 Hebrews 1:1-4, use Luke 20:9-18 as an illustrate God the Father’s assignment of Jesus as His final, best spokesman. Heb 1:4 name: Jesus’ essential person, that is the second person of the Trinity as opposed to the lesser angelic Sons of God (Job 1:6)  or adopted human (Gal 3:26, 4:6)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTvcwff-sGk

Conversation, Devotion

What Are You About?

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It is a conundrum; you may say it’s a tempest in a teapot, but it produces quite a lot of angst, for this reporter. You see, ultimately, it is our goal, yours and mine, to set our beloved country to rights. And how best to do that. We believe the promise and belief in the person promising is the only true solution, the tenets of sacred Scripture, specifically, the promise made to Solomon made 3,000 years ago. We happen to think that God Almighty is good for His promises, and His great Communication, the Bible, is true and sure.

If you disagree, then there isn’t really any point in your staying on the site, perhaps for a good laugh and a pathetic joke; so be it. Really, this place isn’t for you. Enjoy the day.

OK, the rest of us need to make a decision: is America worth returning to her Judeo-Christian roots? Yes, no, maybe so. All right, that’s a starting point. If you count yourself a Christian, may I ask another uncomfortable question? Ready? Do you take the Bible seriously?

“Of course I do, what kind of idiot question is that!?”

An honest one. Really, it isn’t meant to get your hackles up. Let me rephrase the question. Do you think God is good on His promises to YOU? Really. There’s some pretty big ones in there.

Can God give you unreasonable peace? Philippians says so.

Can God free you from want? David says so.

Can God give you rest from your burdens? Jesus says so.

Can God provide for and fulfill way beyond your wildest dreams? Paul says so.

John Morris of ICR once quipped, “If you can believe the first sentence of the Bible, the rest is pretty easy to believe.” If then believe that the Bible is true, and God is able to make and keep great promises, do we then labor to restore America to her great spiritual  heritage (more on that later) by activism, political process and persuasion, or do we abandon the political zealotry and turn solely to God by the promises He made to Solomon and others (more on that too later).

When Jesus came, He presented Himself not as the triumphant Messiah of first century Jewish thinking. We can more clearly see His role as the Lamb of God; and on His return, as righting all wrongs, wiping away every tear, and bringing in the glorious millenial rule on the throne of David. At His first advent, there was no conquering, no admonition to overthrow injustice and ungodliness, save the power of the Gospel to do these noble things as a by-product of the transformed sinner.

So how does the Gospel reconcile itself with the affairs of humanity? How does this “transformation by the renewing of the mind” meet citizen Sam? In his landmark book, The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization, author xyz quotes Speaker of the House (1847-1849) Robert C. Winthrop:

All societies of men must be governed in some way or other. The less they may have of stringent State Government, the more they must have of individual self-government. The less they rely on public law or physical force, the more they must rely on private moral restraint. Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled, either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet.

– Mangalwadi, Vishal (2011-05-10). The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization (p. 353). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Winthrop answers our question, albeit indirectly. It is then, the transformed mind by the renewing power of the Gospel engaged in the practice of godly self-government that renews and revitalizes society. It is neither monastic retreat to the “holy huddle” of self-absorbed ecclesiology, nor the moral conquer of an unwilling society of religious zealotry.

Therefore, we pray, we seek Him, we confess to God our sins, to others our witness, make disciples, and participate as citizens, die to self, and fully rely on His promise.

Conversation

Thin As Skin

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You may have heard of the poll Reader’s Digest published sometime ago; The 100 most trusted people in America. Atop the list was, of all people,  Tom Hanks. Hanks is an excellent actor; one of my all time favorite movies is Apollo Thirteen, a story of true grit, valor, and the American can do spirit.  I don’t agree with his politics; so what, who cares?

If you are scratching your head, or perhaps nodding a tentative “Yeah, I can see that” head nod, so am I. Other paragons of virtue include  Jimmy (really?) Carter. In fact, of the top 20, 10 were actors and otherwise well known in front of a television camera.

How did we move our vision of trusted people from the virtuous to the popular?

Attitude

Here is Hope

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I like what Solly says here. It adds to my hope:

“The righteous will never be removed,  but the wicked will not dwell in the land.” – Proverbs 10:30

Attitude

Having So Much

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Just returned from some time off, and went through the back yard. This is some of the good things I found. Avocados flourishing from the rain, parsley, radicchio  peppers, mission and green figs. Juicing oranges, Meyer lemons, and tangerines.

Had I not looked, this gift would have gone unopened and unappreciated. Psalm 104:14-15

Good things from God.
Good things from God.
Purpose

Charter

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The Republic is in dire straits.