𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣

• What’s one thing you can’t leave the house without? Why?

• What do you do when you’re weary or discouraged? Who do you turn to for comfort?

• Think of a major decision you made in the past. How did that decision affect your life?

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗

𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝗛𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝟭𝟯:𝟴

(Read also 𝗛𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝟭𝟯:𝟵–𝟭𝟲, 𝟮𝟬–𝟮𝟭.)

The book of Hebrews offers us insights about Jesus and what makes Him better: than the angels, Moses, and the Sabbath. Through this book we can also learn why Jesus is the better High Priest, offering Himself once and for all as the sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Now, believers can enter into a better covenant and ministry, and receive the invitation to lay hold of better things because of the hope of a better resurrection. Nothing is greater nor better than Jesus. Our Savior reigns supreme and is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What else could be better than this?

𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁.

𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝗛𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝟭𝟯:𝟴

The final chapter of Hebrews has the highest number of commands in the entire book, and the writer notes the truth these commands are hinged upon: Jesus Christ is unchanging. We can endure hardship with confidence because we can trust that Jesus will never change and He will fulfill all that He said He would do. Jesus’ unchanging nature is every believer’s supreme source of comfort. In a world where everything changes, how do you feel about the reality that Jesus is unchanging?

𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗶𝗺.

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱. 𝘚𝘰 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝗛𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝟭𝟯:𝟭𝟭–𝟭𝟯

In the Old Testament sacrificial system (Leviticus 16:26–28), on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would select two goats: one to be used for purifying the sanctuary and its elements and the other to be the scapegoat. The blood of the sacrificed goat was brought into the sanctuary, while the remains were burned 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱. The idea of “outside” represented chaos, a place of uncleanness and sin. The scapegoat, the one carrying the sins, was sent 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 into the wilderness, representing the removal of sin from God’s presence and the community. Jesus mirrored and exceeded this sacrifice when He was crucified outside Jerusalem to cleanse and purify the people 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥. Believers are now called to go 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱, which means identifying with Christ and sharing in His suffering. Knowing that Christ suffered the fullest extent of all possible rejection, what does it mean for us to 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 Jesus bore?

𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗺.

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥. 𝗛𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝟭𝟯:𝟭𝟱–𝟭𝟲

For us who, by faith, received all the “better” things because of Christ’s sacrifice, the suffering we are experiencing now is the “worst” that we will ever experience. Our lives on earth are now set apart for fruitful labor for the Lord and His kingdom. For these, He is worthy of all our praise, which is expressed through our lips and our good works. What are some things you have done to honor God in response to the good He has done for you?

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

• Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What does this mean for your current situation? How may this change your perspective of your present and future?

• In what area/s of your life are you tempted to look for something “better” than Jesus? How can the truth of His supremacy help recenter your heart?

• Who in your life needs to hear about the “better” hope found in Jesus? How can you intentionally share the gospel with them this week?

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥

• Praise Jesus for His unchanging nature. Thank God that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

• Ask God for eyes of faith to see Jesus for who He is, especially as you endure hardship.

• Ask God to show you opportunities to serve in your local church or community and model the hope you have to those around you.