Hebrews

Read Hebrews 4. 

1. What does this text tell you about the character of God?

2. What does it say about God’s nature?

3. Where do you see God’s love at work in the midst of these verses?

4. What section or verses in the text speak most personally to you? 

Read Matthew 11:28-30 and answer the following questions:  

5. What is Jesus inviting you into? 

6. In your own words define “rest for your soul.” 

7. Where do you recognize a need in your own life for soul rest? 

Read Hebrews 4.1-11 and answer the following questions: 

8. What’s the purpose of God’s “rest”?

9. Note the invitations included in this text. Which resonates with you?

10. How do you “enter a Sabbath-rest?” 

11. Reread Matthew 11.28-30. How do you hear the invitation of Jesus in Hebrews 4?

Read and reflect on the phrase below and answer the questions that follow: 

“Busyness is not just your disordered schedule, it’s your disordered heart.” 

12. When you consider the invitation to rest, how do resist the temptation to make rest about your schedule? 

13. How does a disordered heart lead to weariness? 

Read Hebrews 4.12-13 and answer the following questions:  

14. To what or whom are these verse referring? 

15. How do you ensure you worship the God of the Bible vs. worshipping the Bible?

16. Describe how you’ve experienced God’s Word judging the thoughts and attitudes of your heart? 

Read Hebrews 4.14-16 and answer the following questions:  

17. Do you believe Jesus was really tempted in every way you are? Explain. 

18. How have you experienced His empathy in your time of need? 

19. Beside Jesus, who knows the places in your heart where you need mercy and grace? 

20. What would life look like for you if you fully accepted this invitation from Jesus? 

Read and reflect on Deuteronomy 33.12. Give Him praise for His rest. 

Read Hebrews 3. 

1. What does this text tell you about the character of God?

2. What does it say about God’s nature?

3. Where do you see God’s love at work in the midst of these verses?

4. What section or verses in the text speak most personally to you? 

The text begins with a call to “fix your thoughts on Jesus.” Read and reflect on Hebrews 3.1 and answer the following questions: 

5. The text calls us “holy” and ones who “share in the heavenly calling.” How do these truths influence the way you think about yourself, about God, and about others?  

6. Where do you start in fixing your thoughts on Jesus? 

7. When you fix your thoughts on Jesus, what do you think about?

8. Where do your thoughts take you?  

Read and reflect on verses 2-6 and answer the following question: 

9. Why is this focus on Jesus being greater than Moses important to Jewish readers? 

Read and reflect on verses 7-11, 14-15 and answer the following questions:

10. Why does the writer of Hebrews include this portion of Psalm 95? 

11. In your own words define a hardened heart. 

12. How does this passage encourage you? 

Read and reflect on verse 12-13 and answer the following questions: 

13.  How what is the connection between encouragement and fixing our thoughts on Jesus? 

14. What is the communal significance of these verses? 

15. Why does the author stress the importance of “Today”? 

Read and reflect on the definition of encouragement from J.D. Walt

To “encourage” in the biblical sense of the term, is to stand in the stead and agency of Jesus, participating in the work of the Holy Spirit, to minister grace to human beings at the level of their inner person, communicating, conveying, and imparting life, love, courage, comfort, consolation, joy, peace, hope, faith, and other dispensations and manifestations of the Kingdom of Heaven as the moment invites or requires. 

16. How do this truth resonate with you today? 

17. How does it call you forth? 

18. Describe the last time when you were encouraged by a friend? 

19. How are you gifted and called to encourage others? 

20. What is the mutual benefit of encouragement? 

21. Today, where do you need courage?

22. Where do you need courage to fix your thoughts on Jesus?

Spend some time encouraging one another, giving God praise His encouragement expressed through His people. 

Read Hebrews 2. 

1.What does this text tell you about the character of God?

2. What does it say about God’s nature?

3. Where do you see God’s love at work in the midst of these verses?

4. What section or verses in the text speak most personally to you? 

The text begins with the first of five “warning” passages in Hebrews. Reflect on Hebrews 2:1 and answer the following questions:

5. What is the warning, and what is the consequence noted in the text? 

6. To whom or under what circumstances do you “pay the most careful attention”? 

7. Describe a season in your life when you paid the most careful attention to Jesus.

8. What was the outcome of that season? 

9. Describe a relationship in your life that has drifted. Note what conditions precipitated drift, note where drift brought separation. Note if there was any reconnection, re-centering once drift was recognized. 

10. Describe a time when you drifted in your relationship with God?

11. How did God’s presence draw you back to His heart? 

12. How do you sense Jesus giving you strength to stay anchored to His Presence? 

Read and reflect on the quote from Dan Wilt.

“That church’s experience 2,000 years ago intersects our lives in this way: drifting is the besetting sin of our day. And as the metaphor suggests, it is not so much intentional as from unconcern. Christians neglect their anchor—Christ—and begin to quietly drift away. There is no friction, no dramatic sense of departure. But when the winds of trouble come, the things of Christ are left far behind, even out of sight.”

13.  How do this truth resonate with you today?

14. How does it call you forth? 

Read and reflect on verses 2-9, 14-18 and answer the following questions:

15. How can salvation be ignored? 

16. Why was Jesus becoming fully human necessary?

17. How does His abject solidarity with humanity encourage you? 

18. What role does suffering play in your own resurrection? 

Read and reflect on the middle verse, 10-13 and answer the following questions:

19. How do you see yourself as a son or daughter of the King?

20. How do you live today in the truth of your belovedness? 

21. What role do we now, as His Church, have in this neighborhood, and into the nations? 

22. Where do you sense God inviting you to believe and receive His position as child of the King, and ambassador of the King? 

Spend time praying through His truth, praying for His will and His way to be accomplished in and through you. Give Him praise for His faithfulness. 

As we begin our study of the book of Hebrews, you may find the Bible Project overview helpful in understanding the overall message and focus Hebrews.

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/hebrews/?utm_source=web_social_share&medium=shared_video

1. What do you know about the book of Hebrews?

2. What are you looking forward to as we study this book? 

3. 25 times the book of Hebrews says that Jesus is better/greater/more than something else. What challenges your ability to truly believe that Jesus is better than all other pursuits? 

4. Who is the letter written to, and why does Peter write it? 

5. Read Hebrews 1:1-2 and discuss how God has revealed himself prior to Jesus. Why does the author of Hebrews separate the past from the present with Jesus?

6. God’s final revelation through Jesus didn’t change prior revelation, but affirmed all that was previously spoken.  How does the larger story of the Bible grow your faith in Jesus today?

7. Is there a space in your life today where you are struggling with God not seeming to show up for you?

Read Hebrews 1:3-4 and use these verses to answer the following questions: 

8. Who is Jesus?

9. What has he done?

10. Where is he today?

These verses describe Jesus as a prophet (spoke a powerful word), priest (made purification for sins), and king (seated on the throne).

11. Which of these three offices of Jesus is most significant to you today?

12. How does it encourage you that Jesus is all three?

The rest of chapter 1 and chapter 2 are devoted to showing that Jesus is superior to angels.

13. What do you know about angels?

14. What surprising truth about the role of angels is shared in Hebrews 1:14 that should encourage us?

Hebrews 1:5-14 paints a vivid picture using various Old Testament passages to proclaim that Jesus is…

• He is the very Son of God (v. 5)
• He is the Firstborn who is worthy of worship (v. 6)
• He is served by the angels (v. 7)
• He is God enthroned and anointed (v. 8–9)
• He is the eternal Creator (v. 10–12)
• He is Sovereign; angels are the servants (v. 13–14)

15. How do these references help deepen your view of Jesus?

16. Which aspect of who Jesus is encourages you most today?

Interestingly, Hebrews 1 does not include a single command.  It is totally focused on proclaiming the truth about who Jesus is the fact that he is the final word from God.

17. What does Hebrews 2:1 command us to do with what we have heard in chapter 1? 

18. How can you orient your life this week to better listen to the Jesus we have seen in Hebrews 1? 

Reflect on the words of Hebrews 1:1-4 and spend a few moments listening to Jesus today.