For A Little While

Hebrews 2

Sermon Notes:

1) From Subjection to Supremacy vv. 1-9

2) Sanctification Through Suffering vv. 9-13

3) Salvation Through Suffering vv. 1-4, 14-18

Reflection Questions:

1) How can we be sure that God will make all things new even though we do not yet see all things in subjection to Jesus?

2) Sin tears us away from God, but sanctification brings us closer to God. How has suffering you have experienced in the past drawn you closer to God through your sanctification?

3) How does God's justice give us hope in our suffering? How does Christ, our faithful high priest, give us lasting hope?

By His Son

Hebrews 1

Sermon Notes:

1) The Ultimate Word

2) The Ultimate Character

3) The Ultimate Victory

Reflection Questions:

1. If Jesus is the fullness of God's revelation to us, why do our hearts so often seek direction and value apart from him? What are some ways that you can recenter your focus on the Word of God today and this week?

2. Jesus is the center of God's story because he is the only one who had all the qualifications to fulfill the great gospel story. How do you try to bend your story so that it's focused on you? How does seeing who Jesus is help us to see him as the center of the story?

3. What gets in the way of our sharing in the victory that Jesus has won?

The Christian Life According to Hebrews

Hebrews 10:19-39

Sermon Notes:

1. Jesus is Better

2. The Christian Life According to Hebrews

a. Proximity to God

b. Persisting in Faith

c. Love Towards Others

3. The Anti-Christian Life

4. Encouragement for Endurance

Reflection Questions:

1. Why does Jesus being our savior have an effect on our lives today? How is living in light of the gospel different from legalism?

2. Do you ever "get beyond" the need for the gospel? How does resting in the gospel everyday impact our persistence in faith?

3. If you knew that Jesus was coming in one week, how would that change your love and good works towards others? Should we live as if Jesus is coming in one week?

4. How does God's righteous judgment offer comfort for his people in the midst of a broken world and uncertainty?

Jesus Is (a) Better (Priest)

Hebrews 7:14-28

Sermon Notes:

1) We need a priest, 19

2) Jesus is a better priest, 14-17

3) Jesus gives a better hope, 18-25

4) Jesus gives such a greater salvation, 24-28 (cf Heb 2:3)

Reflection questions:

1) Read Galatians 3:1-3. Why were the Galatians trying to be “perfected” by their own efforts? How would this passage from Hebrews have helped them?

2) Read Hebrews 10:14. What is the “single offering” that the passage refers to? In what way has that offering “perfected [God’s people] for all time”? In what way are God’s people “those who are being sanctified”?

3) Does the knowledge of your sin and of Christ’s sacrifice/suffering make you feel unworthy of His love? Read Hebrews 4:14-16 and Hebrews 10:19-25 – Should the knowledge of Christ’s work for you drive you away from Him, or pull you closer?