Lesson 4

The Church of St. John the Divine

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Lesson 4

Hebrews 8

October 12, 2017 • Meg Rice

There is a break in the book of Hebrews in chapter 7, between verses 26 and 27. The author turns from his discussion of the person of Jesus to the work and sacrifice of Jesus. Chapters 8, 9, and 10 focus on the cross and the blood sacrifice of Jesus. The crucifixion of Jesus was not just an event in time. It changed forever how mankind could approach the Living God. It changed forever man’s ability to touch the Spirit of God and have it indwelled within him. Man no longer had to fear the world, through the sacrifice of Jesus, man could conquer the woes that the world produced.

Introduction

September 14, 2017 • Meg Rice

The book of Hebrews is a call for us to mature in our faith from milk to the meat of the gospel. Don’t we want all there is in life for us? Don’t we want to live a life in freedom? Then let’s journey together through Hebrews. Let’s leave the milk and Pablum of our faith and start to chew on the meat of the gospel. When we taste the mature faith, we’ll be enthralled with the person of Jesus, and our lives will never be the same.

Lesson 1

September 21, 2017 • Meg Rice

For a Jew living in the time of Jesus, the thought of dispensing with 2,000 years of tradition was traumatic. The prophets of the Old Testament were the lifeblood of Jewish knowledge. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus spawned a new religion that seemed to be threatening their age-old values.

Lesson 2

September 28, 2017 • Meg Rice • Hebrews 3—4

The next hurdle for the author of Hebrews is to convince the Jews who profess Jesus as their Christ that he is better than Moses. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day continually confronted Jesus with the teachings of Moses to show Jesus was not who he said he was. In chapter 3, the author compares Moses and Jesus to show Jesus is far superior. This is revolutionary thought for a Jew of Jesus’ day. This takes us back to our study of Exodus and the consequences of the ancient Hebrews when they did not believe the promises of the Living God.