Study the Bible in Two Years – 6/20/11

Monday, June 20 – Hebrews 13

1.   As the writer  gives some final instructions for life in 13:1-8, he also offers some of God’s promises to help us carry out these commands.  Find 3 Gospel promises in this section.

 

2.  13:4-5 touch on topics that we deal with every day.  How has modern society rejected verse 4?  How well are you dealing with verse 5?

 

3.  Because Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice out side the city of Jerusalem, what can we look forward to?  See 13:14.  How will we respond to that?  See 13:15-16.

Study the Bible in Two Years – 6/18/11

Saturday,  June 18 – Hebrews 12

1.  The writer compares are life on earth as a race in 12:1-3. When the road of life gets
rough and rocky, what will give us the strength to persevere?  See 12:2.

 

2.  Because the Father loves his children, what will he sometimes need to do?  See 12:5-6.
What is one form of discipline that the Father uses?  See 12:7.

 

3.  What is the difference between Mount Sinai (12:18-21) and Mount Zion? (12:22-24).  Because of Jesus, to which of these mountains do we come?  How is this mountain described in 12:28?  Since we have it, what will be our response?

 

Study the Bible in Two Years – 6/17/11

Friday, June 17 – Hebrews 11

1.  Hebrews 11 is sometimes called the “Faith Chapter” of the Bible.  How does the Bible define faith?  See 11:1.

 

2.  What is the very first thing we accept by faith?  See 11:3.

 

3.  Take time to ponder all the examples of faith from the Old Testament believers.  What conclusion does the writer want us to draw from all of them?  See 11:39-40.

Study the Bible in Two Years – 6/16/11

Thursday, June 16 – Hebrews 10:19-39

1.  Since Jesus has done all of this for us, what will our response be?  See 10:22-25.   How would you use these verses to talk to someone who says:  “You don’t have to go to church to be saved.  What’s so important about going to church?”

 

2.  There are some who also think:  “Since Jesus paid for all sins, I can do whatever I want.” What does 10:26-27 say about that idea?   If a Christian is sinning deliberately, he is actually doing what?  See 10:29.

 

3.  The believers to whom he is writing have been through so much!  See 10:32-34.  What encourages them, and us, to persevere and not give up?  The answer is in 10:37,38, which is a quote from the little book of the OT called Habakkuk.

Study the Bible in Two Years – 6/15/11

Wednesday, June 15 – Hebrews 10:1-18

1.  What does the writer call the Old Testament law in 10:1?   What is the reality, that has made the shadow obsolete?  See 10:10.

 

2.  The writer quotes Psalm 40:6-8.  Who is the one who is actually talking in these verses?  What message does the scroll of God’s Word contain?   What is the will of God that he has come to carry out?

 

3.  Jesus once gave us the impossible command:  “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).  According to 10:14, how can we accomplish this impossible command?

Study the Bible in Two Years – 6/14/11

Tuesday, June 14 – Hebrews 9

1.  The writer reviews
the contents of the original temple or tabernacle.  The place of God’s presence is called the “Most Holy Place.”  Who could enter this inner room and when?  See 9:7. What was the Holy Spirit teaching by the fact that entrance into God’s presence was so restricted?  See 9:8.

2.  So how do we enter  the Most Holy Place?  See 9:12-14!  This is why is Christ so necessary for the salvation of anyone.  Why can’t other religions be a way to get people to heaven?  See 9:15.

3.  Key verses in this  chapter are 9:27-28.   The writer  compares us to Jesus. We will die only once and after that we face the  judgment.  So how often did Jesus have to  die for the sins of the world?  What  happens after that?    9:27 is also  important for those who are tempted to believe in reincarnation – the idea that  a person’s soul returns to live multiple lives on earth.  How does this verse refute that idea?

Study the Bible in Two Years – 6/13/11

Monday, June 13 – Hebrews 8

1.   The earthly high  priests served in a man-made sanctuary, which was just a copy of what? See 8:5.   So where our high priest is serving us?  See 8:2.

2.  In chapter 8, the  writer contrasts the Old Covenant (Testament) with the New Covenant
(Testament).   A covenant is an agreement  between God and man, that establishes a relationship.  What we call the Old Covenant was given  through Moses at Mt.  Sinai, with all its  rules, regulations and sacrifices.  For  the Old Covenant to work, God had to do his part  (such as giving his grace and forgiveness of  sins), and the people had to do their part (obey what God has said).  Why did the Old Covenant fail?  See the beginning of verse 8 and the end of  verse 9.

3.  Hebrews 8:8-12 is  a quote from Jeremiah 31:31-34.  In what  ways is the New Covenant in Jesus superior to the old covenant?  You will find 4 answers in 8:10-12.

Study the Bible in Two Years – 6/11/11

Saturday,  June 11 – Hebrews 7

1.  Jesus is our great High Priest, but to show that he is different from the Old Testament high priests, he is compared with Melchizedek.  Melchizedek was a true high priest of God at the time of Abraham. His story is in Genesis 14:16-18.  He lived 500 years before there was a regular priesthood that was started with Aaron, Moses’ brother.  Note the meaning of his names.  How does Jesus fit the meaning of those names? 

 

2.   We know so little about Melchizedek that the writer describes him as he does in 7:3.  It simply means that none of those things are recorded anywhere in the Bible.   That makes him “a priest forever” which is really true about Jesus.  What does Jesus do as our high priest forever?  See 7:25. 

 

3.  Concerning sacrifices for sin, what did Jesus do that the Old Testament priests could never do?  See 7:27.

 

 

Study the Bible in Two Years – 6/10/11

Friday, June 10 – Hebrews 6

1.  One of the more difficult teachings is at the beginning of this chapter.  6:4-5 describes someone who once was a true believer.  If such a person should fall away from faith, what becomes impossible for him?  What are they doing to Jesus?  See 6:6.  This verse helps us understand what Jesus meant by the sin against the Holy Spirit, which cannot be forgiven. See Matthew 12:30-32. 

 

2.   At times we may think that all our work for other people goes unnoticed and unappreciated.  What comfort does 6:10 give you in that situation? To whom are you showing love?

 

3. 6:18 says that there are two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, but then it doesn’t tell you what they are.  In context, the two things are God’s promises (6:13) and God’s oath (6:17).   When we are certain about God’s promises, that’s like an anchor for our souls (6:19).  What does an anchor do for a boat?  What do God’s promises do for your soul?

Study the Bible in Two Years – 6/9/11

Thursday, June 9 – Hebrews 5

1.  For the Old Testament believer, worship of the true God, was all about his temple inJerusalem, the sacrifices and ceremonies, and those who took care of the temple worship:  the priests.  Over them all was one high priest.  Throughout chapters 5-10, our book concentrates on what this all now means for a New Testament believer.   Jesus is our High Priest – the great High Priest, different from the others, because he is in the “order of Melchizedek.”  That point is the main topic of chapter 7. 

 

2.  How were the high priests of the OT times different from Jesus?  How are they the same? For similarities, see especially 5:4 and 5:7

 

3.  The writer knows that this subject may be difficult to understand for some.  To what does he compare the simpler teachings of God’s Word?  To what does he compare this subject?  Why is it important that a sermon contain both?