Teaching Copy Hebrews 11-13
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Ch. 11
Ch. 11
1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Spend about 5 minutes at your tables and look at these three verses. Does anything stick out to you?
What about verse 3, notice what it says about how God created everything? There is a popular theory that would say that God simply organized chaos, instead of creating out to nothing. I believe verse 3 disproves that idea.
Ok, so Hebrews 11:4 is one of the most difficult portions of this chapter. Lets read it.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
So now lets read Genesis 4: 3-5
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.
4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Lets spend about 3 minutes around out tables talking about what we think the difference is between Cain and Able’s offerings.
There are several possibilities. Here are some.
Cains offering was not a first fruit. Notice verse 3 says some of the fruit, maybe it wasn't the best.
It is possible it is because Cain’s offering was not a living offering, it did not have any blood in it.
It could also be Cain’s attitude, what was his heart like at the time of the offering.
What do you think about these possibilities?
A couple things to understand. We have no way to know if Cain’s offering was the best, mediocre, or the worst of his crop.
Also, there is no where up to this point where there are any instructions about offerings, or sacrifices, so it is hard to tell if God wanted a living sacrifice like an animal.
We also don’t know Cain’s heart in offering the sacrifice, we are guessing that his motives might have been wrong.
But what we do know is that something was wrong, and we know the character of God. Typically God is much more concerned with the heart of a person, the why behind what they do, instead of what they do.
Think about the story of Ananias and Sapphira.
Tell the story, the below scripture is just for your reference. Focus on verse 4.
1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.
2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.
6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
There sin was a heart issues, it was not how much they gave, they could have sold the property and just given a portion of it. So I have to believe that Cain’s sin was less about the offering itself, and more about his attitude with the offering.
I mean if he was in a place where he was willing to kill his brother, that he was pretty messed up.
Ok, so lets move on to the second part of verse 4.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
What do you think it means that by faith Abel still speaks?
So this verse has to be read with Hebrews 12:24
24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
This is a tough portion of the verse, there are a lot of conclusions we could try to draw. Able was innocent, Jesus was Innocent, and they both were killed.
But I think what Paul is saying is that it is Able’s faith, not his innocence which points us to Jesus. Because it was his faith and not his innocence that caused God to accept his offering.
Ok, I trust you have read all of chapter 11 prior to this class. So we are going to skip down to verse 13
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
First I want to point out that Paul is not contradicting himself, he just told us that Enoch did not die.
What promises do you think that they did not get to see?
Also think about the promise, Jesus comes from the lineage of Shem, Noah’s son.
He comes from Abraham, through Issac, Jacob, and Judah.
If we see Jesus from cover to cover in the Bible, and if we remember last week how Paul says that Christ gave David the message for Psalm 40. and it was really the Holy Spirit, which is he Spirit of Christ speaking through Jeremiah in Ch. 31 of his book. Then we can make a pretty clear assumption the Paul is saying that it was Christ who not only gave each of the people he mentioned the promise, But that Jesus himself is also the fulfilment of that promise.
Ok lets read the next two verses. Hebrews 11: 14-15
14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.
15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Lets take 5 minutes are tables and talk about what this is saying?
So keeping in mind the fact that Paul is trying to get the Hebrew people to turn away from Judaism and become Christians. Can you see how what he could be saying is that if they are constantly longing to go back to the Old Covenant, the Old Law, that they will miss out on what God really has for them?
verse 19 is very much a shot at the Sadducees, and the fact that they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. It is also an argument that even Abraham would have believed in Jesus’s resurrection.
19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
Ok, lets move on to verses 24-28. Read these at your table, and talk about what stands out to you?
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
Lets focus on verses 26-27. Remember at the very beginning of the study I told you this is one of the greatest accounts of Christology throughout scripture. It is an argument that we see Christ from cover to cover through all of history, and the Bible.
I think what Paul is saying here is that Christ was the one in the burning bush, it is through Him, the Word of God is spoken to Moses.
Now lets talk through the passover. This is the last plague that is talked about in Exodus, and it is what allows the Israelites to leave Egypt. God’s angel puts to death the first born son, of all of the Egyptians. The Israelites were spared as long as they put the blood of a lamb on their door post.
Anyone remember what they used to put the blood on the doorpost?
22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning.
Is that familiar to any of you with any other Biblical stories?
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
So there is this connection back to Israel being saved! Also Jesus bring about the new covenant as He is eating the passover meal with His disciples. He becomes the sacrificial lamb.
So the argument is that all of the faith of the patriarch, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, they are all pointing to Jesus as the Christ.
Alright the rest of the chapter, is the rest of the hall of fame of faith. Lets move on to chapter 12.
Ch. 12
Ch. 12
1 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 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Verse one starts out with therefore. Which tells us what? We have to connect this to the previous several verses, if not the entire chapter. In this case it is the entire chapter.
Think about running a marathon. Do you ever see anyone running a race like that in overalls and work boots? No, because it would make it much more difficult. How much it would crush your morale?
Paul is saying that our faith, is like a race, and sin makes it much more difficult to run that race of faith, it hinders us, it weighs us down. That is why he gave all of the examples of the hall of fame of faith, so that we could see how they shed their sins so that they could be used more fully by God.
At your tables read verse 4-11 come up with 3 things you find interesting in that set of verses.
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
verse 4 is most likely prophetic, it talks about the martyrdom that will happen later on.
Why do you think we have a negative view of discipline?
(teaching note- use some sort of an illustration about someone doing something wrong, that needs corrected. I am going to talk to one of the class members who has a mechanics shop about if he had someone who was rebuilding an engine incorrectly. Is it a bad thing to point that out? Is it a bad thing to have someone supervise that persons work until you are sure they know what they are doing? Is that not discipline?)
look at verses 5-6
5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Anyone know what this is from?
11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
Anyone know who wrote Proverbs? What is he famous for other than having hundreds of wives?
Wisdom.
So knowing what we know. That the author of Hebrews has argued that Christ gave King David the 40 psalm, that Christ gave Jeremiah his prophecies, and spoke as the Word of God to Moses through the burning bush.
So then who gave Solomon his wisdom? So Paul is taking a book that was so important to the Jewish people, the book of Proverbs and showing them, that even it points to Jesus as the Christ. He does this with an attempt to let them know that even though they will suffer, it will be so that they can draw closer to God.
Ok, verses 12-13 are really cool, and honestly I think Paul could have ended the book with this, and been spot on.
12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.
13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
verse 12 is from Isaiah 35: 1-3
1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus,
2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
Its a promise to the people that their deliverance will come from God. But it is more than that. If you we all of chapters 33-35 you get to see several Messianic prophecies about the coming of Jesus.
Make you Paths level in verse 13 is from Proverbs 4:26
26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
And the last part about healing, connects the dots to a lot of the teachings about Jesus, but i think one in particular sums it up the best.
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ ”
21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.
22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.
23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
For sake of time, I am going to lecture the last part of chapter 12.
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.
17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;
19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,
20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”
21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?
26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”
27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
Ch. 13
Ch. 13
I'm going to do kind of the same thing as we wrap up here. I am going to give commentary on this.
1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.
2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
I want you to see this final connection.
the hospitality part, is a reference to Abraham talking with God, and the other two angels. The prison thing is very much about people being put in prison physically, but also spiritually,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,
4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
I get asked this question a lot. Why does the church seem to focus on sexual sin and not just sin. Well I do not think we do. But I do think sexual sin is one of the greatest tools that Satan has to drag us away from God.
Talk about the roman world. Talk about the jewish world, and how God did not want them to look like the rest of society.
The second part of verse 5 is a quote from Deuteronomy 31: 6. and verse 6 is a quote from psalm 118: 6-7.
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.
10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.
12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.
13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.
14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
Verses 15-25 are the final greeting and I think one of the best arguments that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews.