Hebrews - 2019
Friday
Hebrews 1:1-3
January 4, 2019
"As we begin this study, it seems almost as though the 1st chapter of this book is missing. The writer immediately begins to lay out an impressive argument about the superiority of Jesus Christ. For the author, whoever he is, Jesus is clearly the answer to every one of life’s problems."
Hebrews 1:4-14
January 18, 2019
"Part of the problem in the early church, especially when they were being persecuted, is that because Jesus was a man, it was easy to think of angels as superior. It’s true that He was 100% man—we must never forget that. Later, in this book, we are going to see why that is so important... But He was also 100% God and that’s why we must avoid the tendency to worship angels. Though they are, at least until we go to be with Jesus, superior to us in almost every way, they have never been the sole object of God’s love. They are holy and pure (at least God’s angels are). They are powerful, supernatural beings. Never forget that it was people God died for, not angels."
Hebrews 2:1-4
January 25, 2019
"As we study these warnings beginning here, I want to make 2 critical points: 1st, Real Christians cannot lose their salvation; 2nd, only God knows whether or not they had it in the first place! Galatians tells us that God cannot be mocked (fooled). He alone knows for sure. Here is the key: Jesus (Mt.7:23, speaking of professing believers) said, 'Away from me. I never knew you…' The issue in heaven has always been whether or not Jesus knows you, not the other way around... "
Hebrews 2:14-3:1
February 8, 2019
"Even today there are some who declare that Jesus was not really human. New-agers refer to a Christ-conciousness that they believe in. Others say that Jesus only appeared to be human. The writer here declares as plainly as possible that Jesus was indeed fully human…"
Hebrews 3:1-6
February 15, 2019
"We have to remember that the true test of someone’s faith comes over the long haul. Anyone can have an emotional experience; it takes true conversion to survive trials and persecution. That’s what the writer is saying—if you hold on, if you don’t turn to anything or anyone else, if you remain faithful to Jesus, we are His house! "
Hebrews 3:7-19
February 22, 2019
"I am going to remind you of lots of things you already know! But I also want to remind you that knowing something involves responding to it, not just being able to recite it. Notice here who it is that is warning us. There are lots of people (I was one of them) who say that the Bible is just a book written by men and has little value for our sophisticated society. They say that the Bible does not claim Divine authorship for itself. WRONG! Right here we are told that the OT Scriptures (Psalm 95:7-11) were written by God the Holy Spirit! One of the strengths of our faith lies in the fact that when people argue with you about your Bible, they are really arguing against God."
Hebrews 4:1-11
March 1, 2019
"Theme: faith and rest. Blessings lost because we fail to believe… The more I read this book—indeed, the more I study the Bible—the more convinced I am that walking with the Lord is all about one thing—FAITH! Faith—without it, it is impossible to please God. If you will just believe God—and respond in faith to whatever He promises, your life will never be the same."
Hebrews 4:12-13
March 15, 2019
"Have you ever read a verse you've read hundreds of times and had it grab hold of you like never before? Have you ever had a verse pierce you as it spoke directly to the situation you were in at that very moment? It's because it is active, continuing to work. It travels with you.. Finally, it's active because, at that very moment, Jesus is praying for you, upholding your cause against the accuser."
Hebrews 4:14-16
March 22, 2019
"We have an amazing resource available to us every day. Jesus is sitting, many times idly because we won’t come to Him, in heaven waiting to help us hold firmly (Gr.—with vigor) to our profession of faith and all the promises contained in it. This offer of help proposes to meet every need, to be effective in every situation, not with human strength or wisdom, but with the full resources and power and wisdom of God."
Hebrews 5:11-6:12
April 12, 2019
"How do we train ourselves in becoming more like Jesus? Begin by obeying what you do know from God’s Word. If there are already some things you know God wants you to do, but you are not yet obeying, begin NOW! Why would God give you any more information if you are not responding obediently to what He has already said?"
Hebrews 7:1-10
May 3, 2019
"Paul has been waiting for this opportunity since chapter 5! Do you remember that he wanted to tell his readers about Melchizedek way back then? But he couldn’t. He had to tell them that though they should have been ready to hear about this mysterious man, they weren’t yet ready. But now, after a severe warning followed by the encouragement of last week’s study, he is finally able to give them the great news…"
Hebrews 7:11-25
May 10, 2019
"At the beginning (of our study), we need to establish a standard—God’s standard. The word here for perfection means exactly that—being perfect. You see, since God requires perfection, we have to understand that everything that follows... happens because none of us can be perfect."