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Lessons From Hebrews

Hebrews (11/14/13)

November 14, 2013 • Benham Brothers

Hebrews - written to Jews who converted but wanted to go back to the old way (it was more comfortable) Heb 2:1 - Spiritual Leakage Heb 3:1 - Fix your thoughts "maintaining a disposition where you see God in everything" Mental Conditioning - if you're shopping for a suburban you're mind is on it all the time, then you see suburbans everywhere. Heb 4:1 & 11 - Rest Rest is two-fold: Rest for your Soul - this happens at salvation Rest as a result of completing the work God has for you - this happens consistently Heb 6:4-6 - Tasted but not injested If you taste and turn you won't ever go back Rejection What you eat is taken into the essence of your being Rich young ruler tasted, but didn't want to eat Eating is a commitment Heb 10:6/22-23 - External to Internal God's law was now written on their hearts When it's written on your heart you don't need a law telling you "not to do something" The old law said "stay away and keep your distance" The new law said "draw close to me and I'll draw close to you" God works internally first, then makes His way to the external Heb 12:1 - Divine WOD Relay race - it's not done until everyone finishes Three-step process for finishing our lap: 1) Throw off external hindrances - inordinate care or concern for the present world - your "stuff," your identity - this is where you sit loosely to your wants and needs 2) Throw of internal hindrances - the sin that entangles you by 1) the Company you keep 2) your Constitution 3) the Circumstance you're in - there's no heaven with a corner of hell in it 3) Run with patience - he didn't say "be patient" - he said Run with Patience. In your patience be running. Faith and Patience are the twin elements of perseverance. Faith is content with the present but looks forward toward the reward Jesus focused on the reward and counted it joy Heb 13:5 - Money Contentment is the cure to the love of money Focus - Inward vs Outward Contentment focuses IN because God is with you - He's all you need Discontentment focuses OUT When God blesses it's easy to focus on the blessing itself and not the God behind the blessing Contentment is a lens through which you will see money for what it truly is - a TOOL to be used to build with and not a TOY to be used to play with.

Hebrews 1:1 (10/28/16)

October 28, 2016 • Benham Brothers

• The letter to the Hebrews was written because the new believers were tempted to avoid persecution by drifting back into Judaism. • So the writer (probably Paul) uses a lot of OT Scripture to prove that Christ was the Messiah. • But the most important point in Hebrews is that Christ is SUPREME! • These people needed to know that Christ was God’s Son and was over all things. • If you don’t hold Christ and His Word as supreme then you’ll always drift the way of avoiding persecution. • But when Christ is supreme in your heart then you will be courageous when others are cowards.

Hebrews 1:1-3 (11/2/17)

November 2, 2017 • Benham Brothers

* This book is about spiritual maturity. * It’s not about what Jesus did on the earth, but what He is doing while in Heaven (vs 13). * The foundation is Christ’s supremacy over all things . * vs 3 - Christ is the Connector - He is the center and stabilizing force of the whole universe. * LAMININ! (Colossians 1:17) - it’s a protein that connects our cells to each other and literally holds our bodies together. * Christ’s death holds us together - and now He sits at God’s right hand (Psalms 110:1). * vs 13 - This is the foundational picture the writer paints to be the backdrop for the whole book. * Christ sitting at God’s right hand is all about AUTHORITY. * The writer even mentions this again in Hebrews 8:1. * KEY - Spiritual maturity is tied to walking in the authority God now gives us through Christ! * Hebrews 2:1 - “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

Hebrews 2:1 (10/25/18)

October 25, 2018 • Benham Brothers

* We must be intentional about growing our spirits in Christ. * If we neglect our relationship with God (or any relationship for that matter) it creates a pattern that will be followed. * 1) Drift - if you’re not moving forward you’re moving backward and you’ll end up where everyone else ends up. * 2) Dullness - what’s truly important just doesn’t matter anymore, nothing really does. * 3) Doubt - you will begin to question the things you once believed was true. * 4) Disobedience - you’ll act on your own desire. * 5) Despiteful - you now become a scorner and mocker in your heart, wanting nothing to do with God. * 6) Defiant - you’re now ready to defy God to His face and tell Him you’re done with everything that resembles Him. * PLEASE don’t neglect your relationship with the Lord. You will regret it!

Hebrews 2:1 & 3:1 (11/6/14)

November 6, 2014 • Benham Brothers

Heb 2:1 - Our minds are leaky vessels, so we have to make sure we don't let God's truths leak out! In spiritual terms this is called "drifting." We must not only go after God's treasure but also keep them stored up. HOW? PAY ATTENTION! If our boss tells us he has something important to tell us we'll put the phone away and pay close attention. Heb 3:1 - We pay attention to Jesus by fixing our thoughts on Him. Mental Conditioning - you begin to see God in everything. Heb 3:12 - it's our job to "tend our hearts" just like a shepherd tends his sheep. A shepherd is faithful to provide and protect his sheep, leading them to a quiet place of peace. A shepherd fights off the wolves that want to devour the sheep. We must lead our hearts to get alone with God to experience peace, and we have to fight off the wolves that come our way and want to steal that peace. We can't leave our hearts to chance - we have to be proactive about them.

Hebrews 2:10 (10/31/19)

October 31, 2019 • Benham Brothers

* Perfectly sculpted muscles come through painstakingly difficult workouts. * Perfection is always a result of pain. * God ordained strength to come through strain. * This is why it’s called the “narrow” way. * We need to “work out” what God “works in.” * “Perfect” means “Complete.” * None of us are perfect, but we can be complete in Christ if we suffer for Him. * Just like a painter - the pic isn’t done until the last stroke. * Saying “no” to that temptation is suffering personally and makes us complete. * Vs 18 - the beauty of suffering is that you can empathize with others who suffer and help them. * Jesus went through pain so He could help us with ours.

Hebrews 2:14 (11/2/17)

November 2, 2017 • Benham Brothers

* The only way we can break the power of devil over our lives is through death. * 1) Through Christ’s death - He’s done His part. * 2) Through our death - we have to do our part. * We must take up our cross. * We won’t take it up unless we’re willing to die.

Hebrews 3:1 (10/29/20)

October 29, 2020 • Benham Brothers

The warfare for your soul takes place on the battleground of your mind. • If you want to win in life then you have to wage war in your mind. • The writer of Hebrews wrote to encourage believers not to slip back into Judaism to avoid persecution. • Chaps 1-2 show how ossum Jesus is, and how He was sent from God and is above all others. • Vs 3:1 - In light of that, we have to FIX OUR THOUGHTS on Him. • How? • Unlock the RAS! • It’s your brain filter that determines what makes it from your subconscious to your consciousness. • I bought Allie a Ford Focus - I fixed my thoughts on that car. • I started seeing them everywhere! • Our thoughts are fixed by: • 1) What we believe to be true. • 2) What we truly desire. • 3) What we focus on. • EX: the color yellow.

Hebrews 3:1-12 (10/29/15)

October 29, 2015 • Benham Brothers

• The Hebrews struggled with the same things other churches struggled with - the tendency to go back to their old ways. • Paul then talked about the tendency for our hearts to drift away from God. • The current of culture always flows the opposite direction of God’s original design. • How do we keep it from drifting? • 1) Fix our thoughts (vs 1) - “keep watch” - maintaining a disposition where we look and listen for God in all things. • 2) Tend our hearts (vs 12) - like a shepherd tends his sheep. • What would a shepherd tend his sheep? • 1) He leads them to quiet places - rest. • We need to get alone with God, just as Jesus did. • 2) He leads them to fruitful places - fuel. • We need to be in God’s Word, filling our heart with truth. • 3) He fights off wolves. • We need to know where the battle takes place and engage. • It takes place in the mind - when our heart is right it will renew our minds.

Hebrews 3:7-11 (10/31/19)

October 31, 2019 • Benham Brothers

* The writer is reminding the Jews how their ancestors grumbled and complained and showed a lack of faith to take the land. * This sparked God’s anger so He punished them by not allowing them to enter His rest. * Apply this to someone who has a job they don’t like or are in a season that’s difficult. * How are they responding to it? * Are they complaining or content? * Are they questioning or clinging? * On our way to our sweet spot we need to make our current spot sweet through contentment. * This means we have to focus on God and not the situation. * When we are content we get the rest (peace) that’s meant for us.

Hebrews 3:18-4:2 (11/2/17)

November 2, 2017 • Benham Brothers

* In Matthew 11:29 we learn that we enter God’s rest when we enter His work. * Here we see the Israelites were not able to enter God’s rest because of disobedience and a lack of faith. * We will never enter God’s work if we don’t first have faith and then a desire to obey Him. * Our faith is what gives us peace WITH God. * Our obedience gives us the peace OF God. * Our faith allows us to enter His rest. * Our obedience allows His rest to enter us.

Hebrews 4:10-11 (11/3/16)

November 3, 2016 • Benham Brothers

* The rest Paul is talking about is salvation - rest for your soul. * The Promised Land was a place of salvation from slavery for the Israelites. * But there is also a rest for our soul on this earth - it's living in continual peace. * We have to make every effort to enter that rest consistently. * How? By entering God's work! * In the OT, work and rest were separate. * In the NT, work and rest go hand-in-hand. * When you're working you're resting. * Matthew 11:29 - "Take My yoke upon you....." * When we enter Christ's yoke and begin to work we experience His rest. * The devil will try to keep us from entering God's rest for us by keeping us from entering God's work for us. * John 17:5 - Jesus brought God glory by completing His work. * John 6:29 - the work of God is to BELIEVE God - we must continually do this. Faith! * Work and Rest - they are meant to be experienced together. * The best work we can do is to study God’s Word - this is why verse 12 comes immediately after this.

Hebrews 4:12 (3/26/13)

March 26, 2013 • Benham Brothers

Hebrews 4:12 (11/3/16)

November 3, 2016 • Benham Brothers

* I debated a buddy of mine about the Bible a few months ago.... * He put truth on top of experience and I put experience on top of truth. * He was defending homosexuality as an accepted practice by Christ. * He said that we just have to agree to disagree. But can we? * He then gave me his definition of the Bible - "the principal guide for believers in matters of life and practice." * This definition could fit a lot of books. * A better definition is what we see right here in Hebrews 4:12. * Surrender to the truth precedes the understanding of it. * The reason I know my friend was wrong in his interpretation is because he wasn't willing to surrender to it nor did he have a willingness to obey it. * The battle today is over "what is truth" and "who's truth wins." * Christians must engage in this battle.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (11/3/16)

November 3, 2016 • Benham Brothers

* There are three battles every Christian faces: * 1) Personal Battle - the fight over temptation. * 2) Corporate Battle - fighting with other people. * 3) Kingdom Battle - the fight over the soul of nations/culture. * Here's the key - the more victorious you are in the personal battle and the more you stay out of the corporate battle, the more powerful you are to fight the kingdom battle. * God wants us winning personally so that we can fight His battles in the culture where the gates of hell are prevailing. * The Hebrews were running from persecution by drifting back into Judaism. * So Paul encouraged them to start winning in this personal battle so they could engage in the kingdom one over the heart and soul of their nation.

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