Session 7

Hebrews Session

Heb.

Video Content Development

Scheduled video shoots: September 11, 9:00am - Sessions 7-8

Rough Draft of Hebrews

1. Introduction

a. Personal Greeting

Welcome back, thanks for sticking with the study of God’s word. As we continue to put the Puzzle pieces of Hebrews together, I want to invite you to join me in imagining something.

Imagine a man who rises early every morning. Before the sun rises, he already has laced up his work boots and is on his way to the construction site. His hands are rough, calloused from years of manual labor. He clocks in, works hard, and by the time he gets home, its dark, and he’s tired. His wife reminds him of a doctor’s appointment that he has been putting off. But when considering everything that needs to be done, he just thinks, “Maybe next week.” He normally prioritizes his kids performances and games, but lately he has become inconsistent, he just can’t seem to find the time. His paycheck is steady and good with the overtime, but something’s always missing.

Day after day, he notices some of the needs of his own home. Seeing the needs growing as the weeks pass by, he begins to feel like he is stuck building everyone else’s home, brick by brick, but his own is starting to fall apart. While being busy laying foundations for everyone else, he is starting to notice how his personal foundation is beginning to crack. His health is okay, but not in a good place. His family life is slowly becoming tense, and he hasn’t been able to keep up with basic priority’s.

Some of you may not have to imagine this situation, because your living it. Other’s of you might not be the man going to work, but the spouse or child. We all know we need to find down time. We all know we need to take care of ourselves. But why is it that many times we struggle to keep our priorities in line? Why do we have to feel the cracking of our foundation before we admit that we have bought into a lie?

Sure, we are told to work hard, to get the tasks done, and to do them well. Yes, we need to care about our jobs and the health of the companies where we work. But none of those are primary to a healthy life. In fact, they are some of the fastest ways to destroy your understanding of healthy priority.

As we jump back into Hebrews, we are going to find that chapter four is the continuation of the argument built in chapter 3. In fact, we are going to watch as our author brings us back to the significance of Psalm 95 again and again.

2. Segue Questions

Read Hebrews

Leader Guide:

3. Teaching 1st Point: Healthy Fear

a. 3-5 minutes

b. Focus on verses 1-4

After establishing Jesus as the ultimate supremacy in chapter 1, our author builds every argument on this reality. Each section further proves the supremacy of Jesus while also building off of the last argument. By finding the word “therefore,” we find the next development of the argument. We see it in chapter 2, where we are warned about rejecting the words of Jesus. We must recognize Jesus as Lord and submit our daily life to Him. As we come into chapter 3, Jesus is further exalted by comparing him to one of the greatest leaders in all of history. when matched up against Jesus, Moses doesn’t compare. Then partway through chapter 3 we find another “therefore,” where our author quotes Psalm 95 and urges us to soften our hearts to the words of Jesus. Ultimately, Psalm 95 recalls what happened with the people of Israel in the wilderness, that they heard God’s voice at Mount Sinai, they saw His miracles providing for them, they participated in the gatherings.... .but they did not listen to God. They simply did what was expected of them, but did not have the type of faith in God that caused them to listen to His commands and believe Him with their hearts. Thus, their hearts were slowly hardened and they were punished for their unbelief.

As we dig into chapter four, we find our next “Therefore.” In the opening verse we find that we are to look at the people of Israel as an example of our own tendency’s. That just as they had a propensity for listening some, participating some, obeying some..... ultimately checking the boxes while still living the way they wanted, you and I do the same thing. We get distracted by work, activities, worldly pressures that push us or draw us slowly over time. We can fall into a place of functioning like a Christian, believing we are walking with God, but in reality the wool has been pulled over our eyes. We have fallen into the trap of functioning like a christian out of habits that have formed, not out of a genuine love for God.

This is a dangerous place to live for many reasons, one is that we do not regard God’s word the way we should. We know what it says, but instead of letting scripture interpret our lives and wrestling so that we can submit to God’s word, we decide to interpret it and we ask questions like, “Does God really mean that He doesn’t want me to do.... to have....?” Then we rationalize our question in a way that justifies our desires and say something like, “It doesn’t make a lot of sense...”

Here is the problem, we all do this and we all do this more than we ought. Hebrews 4 is so important to anyone who truly believes in God, because it gives us practical tools to help us actually believe. To actually love God. Not to function like a Christian, but to know that we are His children, who have been set aside from this world and given the opportunity to rest in His presence.

First we see that the true believer, who is actually pursuing God prioritizes experiencing and knowing God’s rest. Verse 1 reveals the curiosity and concern of a genuine believer who just read chapter 3. We should be concerned about our response to the Lord. About the strength of our desire to pursue God and submit to His ways. It should be concerning to us when we read about people who “Did most of the right things, but fell because they didn’t really believe.” You see the true believer reads this and prays, “Lord, please don’t let that be me.” Meaning that in hearing about the disbelief of the Israelites, there is a concern that wonders “Do I really believe? and asks “Have I forfeited God’s rest in my life?”

It is a healthy fear that recognizes the wickedness of my own soul, that is humble enough to ask “am I doing the same thing?” And then purposely sets aside time to seek forgiveness, repent of their drift, and seek the Lord with a renewed sense of hunger.

This person needs to know that God’s rest still stands. That they can still enter into it. They don’t have to wait for eternity, but they can enter into it each day.

It’s when we find this hunger in our souls, that we don’t struggle to sit in prayer for prolonged periods of time. We can sit and meditate on a single verse, just asking God to reveal greater depth and understand. Asking Him to help us be transformed by His word as we aim to submit to His command. It’s this spiritual hunger that drives us to fast in prayer. To go without food, without distraction, to intentionally come to the Lord again and again throughout the day. To invite Him into each moment.

You see, healthy fear drives us into a new gear. Where our hunger for God grows and make a priority of entering into His rest.

2. Secondly, just as the people of Israel heard the word of the Lord, so have we. But we have to note that it did not benefit them, because they did not listen. That as a people, they fell into unbelief because they did not listen. It was because of their unbelief that they did not enter God’s rest. So we see that there is a slow fade that takes place over time. If we do not correct the fade, we will experience punishment, just like the Israelites.

In verse two there are three keys that are meant to be practical wisdom that keeps us from falling into unbelief.

The first is that we are at no disadvantage from the people of Israel. If you have read God’s word, you have heard God’s message.

Secondly, the reason the people of Israel didn’t benefit from the good news was that they were not united by faith. The practical call for us is to be united by faith. When we say faith here, we are talking about the believing heart that diligently seeks to wrestle with God’s word and submit to it in their daily life as an expression of worship.

Secondly, our faith is called to be “united” together by our common “faith.” Meaning that we are called to seek out other believers who are genuine in their faith. Who love God and have conviction in their desire to eagerly seek after His heart and rest in His presence. which brings us to our third key.

How do we know who we should be united with? “Those who listen” to God’s word. Those who take it seriously, who have demonstrated faith by submitting to the word of God. These are not people who long to argue over the meaning of the text. But rather their longing is to love God with all of their being. Meaning, that they will wrestle with scripture - not for the sake of being right, but for the sake of learning how to meaningfully apply it to their life. They trust and believe what God has given us in His word is His revelation to us and they take it seriously. Knowing that by submitting to the word, they are cultivating a life of godliness that will permit them to enter into God’s rest.

4. Group Discussion:

Read Hebrews

Leader Guide:

Digging Deeper (Cross-References)

5. Teaching 2nd Point:

6. Group Discussion:

Read Hebrews.

Leader Guide:

Digging Deeper (Cross-References)

7. Teaching Summary

a. Summarizes the major points and concludes by leaving a challenge or application that is based on the three collective teaching points.

i. Should be direct and clear.

8. Close