CG Questions: Hebrews 5:1-10

CG Questions: Hebrews 5:1-10
Qualifications of the High Priest

1.     Have you ever been asked to represent someone? What qualified you to fill this role? How important is it that the person that represents you really knows you and your circumstances? How did Christ become qualified to represent us before God? 

2.     Have you had a time in your life when you dealt with a difficulty/temptation that later gave you greater understanding/compassion for another person? Have you ever been able to help someone who has gone through a similar trial, illness, difficulty? How is Jesus able to identify with our weaknesses and trials?

3.     Have you ever been required to make recompense for something you had done? Did you ever have someone agree to perform a service on your behalf? How moved are you when you realize that God sacrificed His Son on your behalf to pay the penalty you could never pay? 

4.     God appointed the high priests to represent the Israelites before God. Jesus was not only sent by the Father but was also His Son. How does the fact that Jesus is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, whose name meant the king of righteousness and the king of peace give you confidence before God? Note – we will cover Melchizedek in much greater depth when we review chapter 7.

5.     Can you recall a time Jesus offered up prayers and petitions with fervent tears and cries? How was He submissive? How important should it be for us to offer prayers to God? How should we demonstrate our submissiveness to God? 

Fully Known & Fully Loved

To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not fully loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and fully loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us. – Tim Keller

We live in a time when it’s easy to project an image that doesn’t reflect reality. Facebook and Instagram feeds are often highlight reels of otherwise imperfect lives. Selfies and filters allow for the best angle and flattering lighting. Likes and follows may be comforting in the moment, but ultimately they fall short. Research has linked heavy Facebook and social media usage with increased rates of anxiety and depression. It’s heartbreaking.

Our world is hurting. God created us with a need to be fully known and fully loved – a need that He and He alone can fill – because He is the only One who truly, fully, wholly knows the depths of our souls and still chooses to love us.

Hebrews 4:12-13 says: “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

He sees and knows the moments we’d rather gloss over. He sees and knows the sins we’d rather keep in the dark. He sees and knows the deepest motivations and thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Sounds a bit terrifying at first!

But rather than looking upon us, seeing our glaring sin and brokenness and misguided motivations, and letting us languish in them, restless and weary, He gave us His Word – His living and active Word – to allow us to see the depths of our sin. In His Word and by His Word we see ourselves for what we truly are – men and women created in His image but born sinful and broken and rebellious, born with a God-sized void in our souls. But He loved us so deeply and fully that He met us in our naked exposure with the only One who could remedy our shame: Jesus. And when we believe in Him, we get to clotheourselves in His righteousness. He actually makes us more like Himself through the reading of His Word and time with the Word Incarnate. He has the power to transform and soften the deepest motivations and thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Like clay in the hands of a brilliant potter, He begins to mold us into what He intended for us to be.

The Word of God is the most extraordinary love letter ever written.

The Word of God is nourishment for our being, fuel for our lives, and rest for our souls.

The Word of God is the means by which we know our Creator, ourselves, and our purpose in this world.

It moves. It stirs. It transforms. It is like no other. 

But we have to open it.

In Cite Soleil, Haiti, you often see children who cannot afford food walking around with biscuits made from dirt. These may briefly quell hunger pains, but ultimately they provide no sustenance and will eventually lead to death.

The stuff of this world – the likes, the follows, the faux approval from those who don’t fully know us, the sin we cling to because we’re terrified to let it go – it’s all dirt biscuits. God has offered us a feast beyond compare. What are we waiting for?

Father, sometimes our sin scares us. We hide it from other people because we’re ashamed of it ourselves. Sometimes we don’t even ask you to reveal it to us because we’re terrified of what you might find. But you know us. Please reveal our sin to us and forgive us where we fall short. You know the depths of our hearts and in your extraordinary, infinite grace, because of Jesus, you love us just the same! Thank you! Please give us a deep craving for Your Word. Thank you for offering us rest through Jesus, and as we run to You for our rest, give us courage and boldness to point others to You as well. You are good and gracious and kind. Please make us more like You. 

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

CG Questions: Hebrews 4:12-16

CG Questions: Hebrews 4:12-16

1. What’s your favorite book or movie?
Why do you like the book/movie?

2. What do you love about the Bible?

3. Why do you think the Word is described as a Sword? How can a sword cause damage? How can a sword cut in order to heal? 

4. Can you describe a time when the Word of God “cut you to the heart” in order to heal you?

4. How does the idea of EVERYTHING being “exposed” make you feel? (Heb. 4:13). Are we sometimes tempted to “excuse” or “defend” yourself by way of “half-truths?”

5. How does Hebrews 4:14 bring comfort to our standing “exposed” before God?

6. Jesus is described as an Advocate. He sympathizes with us. Jesus is SAFE. How do you approach Jesus through prayer? What feelings come to your mind and heart when you move toward prayer? How do you feel like your great High Priest feels about you speaking with Him?

7. Can you share a time when you encountered God powerfully through prayer?

8. Notice the author says we can approach the throne of GRACE with confidence. What if the Word said it was a “throne of JUDGEMENT” instead? How might that change things?

9. Why are people sometimes slow to pray? 4:16 says prayer = we are needy. We find grace in our “time of need.” Why is it hard to be needy?”

10. What needs do you have? Will you call on your brothers and sisters to pray for you as you express needs? Do that now.

Work to Rest

Have you ever "worked to rest?"  It sounds strange but it is absolutely necessary in our crazy busy lives. 

Busy...

Burdened
Under
Satan's
Yoke

The average American works 47 hours per week.  Add to that all of the sports, music, church activities, school functions and we rarely make time to catch our breath.  The US Travel Association Survey reports that 41% of Americans don't take all of their paid time off.  According to the insurance company Allianz Global Assistance 56% of Americans didn't go on vacation (defined as a week off from work traveling at least 100 miles away from home) last year.

So, am I encouraging everyone to "go on vacation?"  In a way, yes, but I'm more interested in why we are so slow to rest from our work.  Why can't I slow down?  Why can't I take a break?  Do I really feel like the world will fall apart if I'm not working?  What does work do for me that makes me keep working?

Pause for 60 seconds.  I know...you're thinking, "I don't have time...I have to get back to work."  Stop.  Breathe.  The dishes won't go anywhere.  The laundry won't move.  That text message can wait.  Ask God right now for the gift of entering in to His rest.  

Peace.  Hope.  Joy.  Love.  Serenity.  Faith.  Strength.  

All of this and more is offered to us when we enter into His rest. 

Don't fail to reach it. (Heb. 4:1) 

Strive to enter it. (Heb. 4:11)

Come to Jesus.  You will find rest for your soul. (Mt. 11:28-30)

See you Sunday,
Steven

CG Questions: Hebrews 4:1-11

CG Questions: Hebrews 4:1-11

“There remains a rest for the people of God.”

Icebreaker 

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “rest?”
Do you feel like you personally get enough “rest?” Why or why not?
Is it possible to be physically rested, but not “at rest?” Explain.

1.     There is a promise of “entering HIS rest.” How do we “fail to reach it?” What stops us from “reaching it” today?

2.     What did God do on the 7th Day? How do we “enter into the Sabbath rest” like our good Father? (God’s rest wants a rest because He was tired, but a rest to admire and delight in His work).

3.     What things and people are you presently delighting in? Share these blessings with each other.

4.     The author of Hebrews urges us to not harden our hearts and to not miss the promise of rest. What things, people, belief systems, idols prevent us from entering this rest? Get specific and ask God for strength for them to no longer be obstacles but bridges to this rest.

5.     What “works” are being spoken of in Hebrews 4:10?

6.     What can we actively do to “strive to enter in to this kind of rest?” (Hebrews 4:11)

Superheroes & Fairy Tales

“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” – GK Chesterton

Last year alone, superhero films grossed more than $4 billion worldwide.

Disney, which now owns Marvel and Star Wars films and has been built on animated fairy tales, is worth nearly $100 billion. 

People LOVE superheroes and fairy tales. I love superheroes and fairy tales!

Why? Why, as humans, are we so drawn to stories of good and evil…to characters in need of rescue, fearsome villains, and selfless heroes who save the day? Why are we so obsessed with happily ever after?

We were created for happily ever after. We are the princes and princesses in distress – languishing far from where we were meant to live. There is a conniving villain constantly trying to convince us that we are fine and not in need of a rescuer. And there is a selfless hero – our Father and our King – who has saved the day and made happily ever after possible again.

And yet we settle for the towers in which we’re trapped, as if they’re our home. We sit in our towers, cowering from the dragon, while the vanquisher stands waiting to intervene on our behalf. Waiting to wrap us up in His arms and pull us out. Because we know the tower. We think we’re comfortable in the tower. We think we’re in control in the tower. In order to be rescued, we have to let go of the familiar and trust that the rescuer is good and kind. We have to trust that our hero has a better life for us beyond the tower.

Hebrews is a call to trust that Jesus is a hero worth trusting in. This letter is a call to yell “Yes!” to the Rescuer when He asks whether we need help. It is an invitation to share in His glorious rest – in His heavenly calling – in His happily ever after. It is a reminder that He and He alone slays dragons – especially the enemy who comes to seek, kill, and destroy. It is a reminder that here, on this earth, in this life, we will face trials. We will face wilderness. We will face suffering. We will face death itself. But have no fear. Because sorrow lasts for the night, but because of Jesus, joy truly does come in the morning.

Hebrews 3 reminds us of this: Do not harden your hearts. It’ll be tough. You’ll experience suffering that did not exist in Eden and will not exist in heaven. You’ll be tempted to sin and you will sin at times – but trust that Jesus is better. RUN from temptation. Repent of your sins. Don’t be duped by the enemy who tells you your dingy, dark tower is better than your Rescuer’s kingdom. Choose the kingdom. As often as you can. The Holy Spirit will enable you to do so. And leave no man behind. When any one of you is tempted to believe your sin will lead to happily ever after, join together to remind him or her that Jesus is better. The kingdom of God is better. This is not only about you. It is about you all. Collectively. Serving a Rescuer who loves you all more than you can possibly imagine.

So as you enjoy superhero movies and fairy tales, rest in this – there is a real life Hero who supersedes them all. His name is Jesus. 

See you Sunday!
Erika

Discussion Questions: Hebrews 3:7-19

CG Questions: Hebrews 3:7-19

Opening Question

The “therefore” in verse 7 of chapter 3 indicates a connection between 7-19 and what has already been said. What is this connection? What is the truth of 1-6 that leads to the call of 7-19? 

1. Hebrews 3:7 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” Whose voice? Think of a time when you heard this voice. What was your response?

2. Has there been a time when you “hardened your heart?” What does it look like to have a hardened heart? How do you know when your heart is hardening?

3. In verse 10, the phrase, “going astray in their hearts” is used as well. How might you keep your heart soft? How might you refocus your heart when you find it going astray? (Psalm 51)

4. Have you ever been “tested in the wilderness?” In the midst of difficult times, what temptations might exist? The Israelites doubted God’s goodness in the wilderness. (Exodus 17 and Psalm 95) Have you ever doubted God’s goodness in the midst of difficult times? If so, what drew you back to the truth about His character?

5. Hebrews 3:9 refers to God’s faithfulness to His people while they were in the wilderness for forty years. As you reflect on your own moments “in the wilderness,” think about the specific moments God was faithful. Dwell on these moments. Thank Him for these moments. Allow yourself to rest in the reality of His faithfulness in the wilderness.

6. What does it mean to “enter into God’s rest?” Have you experienced this kind of rest?

7. Why is “brothers and sisters” plural in verse 12? In other words, why is this cautionary statement given to all, rather than to one? What might this say about the importance of community?

8. The word “exhort” carries many meanings in verse 13. It means to call to one’s side, to comfort, to admonish, to encourage, and to strengthen. It can even mean to “summon one’s friends to attend to in a trial.” How often are we called to exhort one another? Why? 

9. How have you been encouraged or strengthened this week by a brother or sister in Christ? How have you encouraged or strengthened someone else this week? How might constant exhortation keep you from the “deceitfulness of sin” and draw you closer to the Lord?

10. What does it mean “to share in Christ?”

11. Is there such a thing as “solo Christianity?” Can you do this life with Christ on your own, apart from community? Why or why not, based on this passage?

12. How was Moses different from Jesus?

13. What prevents us from entering into God’s rest?

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” 
- Augustine

This is us.

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. - Hebrews 3:1-6

As a child, when I heard, “God’s house,” my mind often went to the brick structure with the steeple where we met on Sundays. It was common to hear little footsteps plodding up and down the hallways, followed by an adult yelling, “Hey! No running in God’s house!!!” On Sundays, we shed our exuberant rambunctiousness, our childlike curiosity, and our messiness at the door. “God’s house” was a place only for dresses and suits – our buttoned-up Sunday best. “God’s house” was NOT a place for giggling out of turn, clapping, or uncombed hair. It was a place to pretend to be something we weren’t everywhere else.

It was as though God dwelled solely within those four walls on Sunday mornings, and what’s more – God approved of us only when we were on our best behavior within those four walls.

In Acts, shortly before the apostle Stephen was to be stoned to death, he said this:

Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?

Did not my hand make all these things?"

The Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands!

He dwells within and among His people. Us. You and me. Individually and collectively. We are His church. Through Jesus as our indispensible, precious cornerstone and our high priest, and with God as the master builder and creator of all things, we are living stones being built into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood for God Almighty's habitation (1 Peter 2). Loved by Him, we love one another. We are God’s house!

This is not a building.

This is a people.

This is us.

So on Sundays and every other day, we bring our exuberant rambunctiousness, our childlike curiosity, and our messiness. We bring our laughter, our clapping, our uncombed hair, and our dresses and suits and jeans and t-shirts. We bring it all, and we lay it down.

And as we hold firmly to Jesus, our confidence and the hope in which we glory, He transforms and builds us into something we could have never even imagined apart from Him: His beloved and redeemed church, now and forevermore. Home. 

See you Sunday!
Erika

Community Group Questions: Hebrews 3:1-6

CG Questions: Hebrews 3:1-6

Opening Question

Sometimes people ask...what is "your calling in life?"  Do you know what your "calling" is?  How would you describe it?

1. The author of Hebrews 3:1 says we share in a "heavenly calling."  What's that heavenly calling look like?  Who do we share it with?

2. When you look at yourself in the mirror how do you see yourself?  How do you describe yourself?  Is the word "holy" included in your description of yourself?  That's how Hebrews 3:1 describes us.

3. What is a working definition of "holy?"  How is a person made "holy?"  How might it benefit us to see ourselves as "holy?"

4. "Consider/study/stare at Jesus."  Think of a time when you really studied another person.  It could be your spouse of child (especially shortly after our children are born) or a parent or grandparent or a friend or maybe a mentor or hero.  What all did you "study?"  Characteristics, appearance, personality, hobbies, likes, dislikes etc.  How does "considering" that other person help you know that person better?

5. Now consider Jesus.  What characteristics do you admire most about Him?  Why do you admire Him?  How does meditating on these characteristics cause your faith to grow?

6. Hebrews 3:1 describes Jesus as an apostle.  How was Jesus an apostle?  (Apostle means "sent out one.")  What was Jesus sent out to do?  How are you being "sent out" today? (See John 20:19-23)  Who are the people Jesus is "sending you to?"  Where are the places Jesus is sending you?

7. Jesus is also described as a high priest.  What does a high priest do?  How can we make sure we remember Jesus does this for us?

8. Heb. 3:3 says that Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses.  How can one person have more glory than another?  

9. What are the similarities and differences between a house and the builder of the house?

10. What house did Jesus build?  

11. What's the difference between a servant and a son?

12. How are we "God's house?"  (2 Cor. 4:7)

13. What's the purpose of the "if" indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope?

14. How do we "hold fast" to our confidence?

15. What's "boasting in our hope" look like?

Sons and Daughters

A few days ago, a couple of my friends received a phone call from across the country informing them that a baby boy had been born. The voice on the phone told them he was in need of adoptive parents. They had prayed for this opportunity – for this little boy – for years. At a moment’s notice, they dropped everything, flew across the country, dropped off their daughter at a family member’s home, and then drove another 8 hours overnight to pick him up.

Upon seeing him, they immediately picked him up, cherished him, loved him. They gave him a name: Theodore, or Teddy, which aptly means God’s gift. 

In her Facebook post, my friend wrote this about Theodore: “We have waited and waited and prayed for this day to come.”

When they arrived home, their daughter Evie, who is 3, wanted to throw him a birthday party, so they bought a cake and celebrated his homecoming with a birthday party.

Teddy isn’t an intrusion, a burden, or reluctantly accepted.

He was and is prayed for. He is loved. He is precious.

We were all – at one time – spiritual orphans. Our sin and our brokenness left us enslaved and separated from our Abba Father who has always graciously offered a way back to Him. And miraculously, we were devotedly prayed for. We were desperately loved. We were undeservedly precious. 

Even when we were far from Him, Jesus was praying we would come to know Him. Jesus died so we could come to know Him. And the moment we acknowledge our sin – the moment we acknowledge our desperate need for adoption by our perfect Father – Jesus picks up the proverbial phone and tells the Father He has a brother or sister in need of adoption. And because of Jesus, we, too, have the right to become sons and daughters of God and heirs of His glory.

Hebrews 2:10-18 tells us this: we desperately need a Savior, and that Savior, Jesus, is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. That birthday party Evie wanted throw for her little brother Teddy is but a glimpse into the elation that erupts in heaven when one human being comes to know God through Jesus. Luke 15:7 says, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Father, please continually help us to see our need for You and our glorious acceptance by You in Jesus. Help us to see Your magnificence, Your glory, Your extravagant love, and may we be image bearers who reflect You in a way that causes many more to know You. May we celebrate in the way heaven does when we gain a brother or sister! Thank You for Your grace and for Jesus, who broke the power of him who holds the power of death and gave us freedom. In His Name, Amen. 

See you Sunday!
Erika

Community Group Questions: Hebrews 2:10-18

CG Questions: Hebrews 2:10-18

Jesus is Better: Liberator and High Priest

Icebreaker Questions

• Have you ever gotten a perfect score on something that you had to put a lot of effort into? What was that process like and what kind of feelings did you have as you put out the effort?  What kind of feelings did you have in the result?
• Have you ever been through endurance training for a specific purpose or goal?  How did you feel in the process of training?  When you reached the goal? What things helped motivate you in either of these situations?

Discussion Questions for VERSES 10-18

1. How can Jesus, as God himself, be made perfect?  What does the writer mean by this phrasing in verse 10?

2. How was Jesus tested through suffering as a man?  For what purpose did this serve?

3. In verse 10, “founder of our salvation” has also been translated as “trailblazer”.  In what ways do you see Jesus as the trailblazer for our salvation? 

4. Do you find yourself ever growing weary and losing heart as you interact with the culture?  How might it help to fix our eyes on Jesus as the trailblazer? (see Hebrews 12:3)

5. In verse 11, the writer quotes from the 22nd Psalm.  What verse from that Psalm did Jesus pray from his cross? What is significant about the truths being conveyed in v. 1 and v.22 of the 22nd Psalm as it relates to this passage of Hebrews?

6. What is the bond between Christians and Christ Jesus?  How did He bond himself with us? Can it ever be broken? why

7. Verse 13 is a reference to Isaiah 8:17-18.  How do these things also relate to the bond we have with Christ?

8. What accomplishments of Jesus does the writer highlight in verses 14-16?  As our heroic liberator, how do the actions of Jesus mentioned here, bind us to him even more?

9. So far in our study, we have heard the writer reference Jesus as PROPHETIC (ch.1) and KINGLY (ch.2).  What title does the writer give to Jesus in these final verses of chapter 2?  What kind of priest? (merciful/faithful/high/relative to our struggle)

10. Do you ever feel like God cannot relate to our angst and suffering as human beings? Why

11. Are you most inclined to approach God in shame or trust? Why

12. How does this passage relay good news about Jesus to address those feelings?

As brother, liberator and high priest, Jesus is unashamed to call us siblings before God and atones for our sins forever!  We can come before God with clean consciences and welcomed as sons and daughters because of all that Jesus does!

Hey! Pay attention!

There isn’t a single command in Hebrews 1.  Not one!

Hebrews 1 is a declaration that Jesus is better than everything else we attempt to put in front of Him. He is greater. He alone offers fullness of life. Wholeness. But there isn’t a command mentioned. Yet.

Until the word “therefore” shows up in verse 1 of chapter 2. “Therefore” is a word laden with meaning, isn’t it? It means what we’ve just read has consequences – it requires a response.

This declaration in chapter 1 MATTERS…so much so that the next verse is this: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it…how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”

Have you ever had something extraordinary happen to you, and then actually had to pause and reflect to really appreciate what’s happened?

My first job out of college was working for a U.S. Senator. At 22, I found myself walking through the halls of Congress to the floor of the Capitol, past political figures and government officials I had only ever seen on television or read about in books. I was living a life I had dreamed about as child.

But I was so busy doing my job, stressed out and hurrying from place to place, that the magnitude of the experience eluded me. I never stopped to acknowledge how exciting it all was! Until one day, I was in an elevator by myself, and it hit me all at once. I paused long enough to appreciate what had happened! I paused long enough to fist pump the air, do an embarrassing dance, and thank God for placing me in such an exciting moment. And the next task became a bit sweeter. I was more present. I was able to appreciate the goodness of the gift.

God gives us so many good gifts. Friends, family, spouses, children, work, food, water, heat, health…but even more, He has given us LIFE itself. We owe our very existence to Him. And it’s so easy to go about our lives in such a way that we ignore the goodness of what He has given us. The essence of this goodness is Jesus Himself. The good gift that supersedes all other good gifts is Jesus, and His life, death, and resurrection. He’s the gift that gives meaning to ALL other gifts.

“HEY!!! PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD!!!” is the cry of Hebrews 2. In the midst of our loud and busy lives, it is a full-voiced, arms waving, grace-filled plea to pause and reflect on the miraculous truth that God created humans in His image – with inherent value and worth – and loved us so much, that despite our rebellion and rejection, He continued pursuing us by sending Jesus, fully human and fully God, to live a life we couldn’t live, die a death we wouldn’t have to endure, and wait for it…to rise again so we could share in His resurrection and glory. 

I know life is busy. I know it can be overwhelming – for better or for worse. But God forbid that we should neglect “such a great salvation.” God forbid that we should be so busy that we miss the goodness of the plot. God forbid that we should reject salvation.

Augustine once wrote this prayer, “You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You. Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness. Let us love. Let us run.”

See you Sunday!
Erika

Community Group Questions: Hebrews 2:1-9

CG Questions: Hebrews 2:1-9

Seeing Jesus

Icebreaker questions

• Who is someone you like to follow, read, listen, or watch in media?  And explain why they garner your attention.
• Can you describe a time in your life that you willingly did something humiliating for the good of someone else? Describe what that looked like.

Discussion Questions for VERSES 1-9

1. What do we mean when we talk about the gospel of Jesus?

2. What is the writer contrasting with the gospel of Jesus in verse 2, when he says, “the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution”? 

3. How important is the covenant made through the person and work of Jesus?  Is there a better covenant with God?

4. What kind of validations (vv. 1-4) are given by the writer of Hebrews for us to regard the gospel of Jesus as Christ?

5. What do we know about Jesus? What have we seen of Jesus? (two separate questions/answers may differ)

6. In what way, did we see Jesus as a little lower than the angels?

7. What was the purpose of Jesus coming in this way – living as a man and suffering humiliation as an innocent crucified on a cross?  Why do think Jesus (as God) would do such a thing?

8. In what way does Jesus garner greater glory, honor, and authority after his humiliation?

9. Why is this referred to by the writer of Hebrews as “such a great salvation”?  In what way is this true?

10. What is the ultimate reality about Jesus’ position and authority? Is there any evidence we have for this?

11. How much attention have you given to the gospel accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John?  Why or why not?

12. What importance does the writer of Hebrews place on the accounts of Jesus?  Should that rate them higher for us?

13. In what ways are you familiar with “such a great salvation” as mentioned in this passage? What’s so great about it?

14. What hope do we have of escaping judgment for sin “if we neglect such a great salvation” through Jesus?

15. Have you ever come to view Jesus differently in your life with greater honor and attention?  How so?

16. What “thing/idol” is holding your undivided attention today?  Can you describe how Jesus is better & deserves greater attention in your life?

Prepared 1/12/18 by Jon Davis

Weekly Announcements

Jesus is better.

Jesus is the difference maker. Jesus sets Christianity apart from every other belief system in the past, present, and future.

This may seem obvious. But it’s easy to forget, isn’t it?

It’s easy to forget that He is greater than everything else our idol-producing hearts raise up in His place. It’s easy to talk generically about God and how good He is, but leave out Jesus, the clearest evidence of His goodness, because He is less culturally acceptable than generic spirituality. It’s easy to become so excited about good things – gifts, even, from God Himself – that we elevate them above the Giver of all gifts.

And the irony of it all?

It’s to our own detriment.

We’re going to post up in Hebrews for much of this year, and one thing is made abundantly clear in Hebrews: Jesus is better.

The church audience of Hebrews had become obsessed with angels. It was the trendy doctrine of the day. They had elevated angels above Jesus.

Today we hardly talk about angels…which is a problem in and of itself for another day (they war on our behalf…how incredible is that?!)…but we have our own “doctrines of angels,” don’t we?

The idols we raise up, the generic spirituality we elevate above the Gospel of Jesus, the celebration of the gifts above the Giver…our “doctrines of angels” take different forms. What is yours? What does Jesus wants to supplant in your life?

 [Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1:3-4)

He is more excellent.

For His glory, and for our good, He is more excellent. Nothing else wholly satisfies our souls!

Jesus is extraordinary. There aren’t words in our human tongues to fully describe His might, His dominion, His love, and His grace. But on this earth, even the glimpse we have of His fullness is life-altering. I know this, and so do you. But in our humanity, we forget. Let's remind each other to choose Him over our "doctrines of angels" in the coming months. After all, even the angels were created to worship Him.

See you Sunday!
Erika

Community Group Questions: Hebrews 1

CG Questions: Hebrews 1

1. “God spoke” (Hebrews 1:1) Can any of you share a time when you know God spoke to you? How did it happen? What did He say?
2. How is God speaking through Jesus better than God speaking through the prophets?
3. Make a list of all the things Jesus is and the things Jesus did in Hebrews 1:1-4.
4. List a few ways Jesus is described. Which one is your favorite and why?
5. “After making purification for sins” the Bible says Jesus sat down. What does this imply? How can this encourage us?
6. Names are important. Do you know what your name means or why someone chose to name you what they did? Heb. 1:4 says Jesus’ Name that He inherited is Superior to the Angels. See also Phil. 2:10-11. Have you bowed to the Name/Person of Jesus? Are there areas of your life you’re slow to bow? Why?
7. Jesus is Superior to the Angels because Jesus is the Son. God the Father wants everyone to know that Jesus is His Son. See Mt. 3:17 and Mt. 17:5. If you are in Christ does God the Father “well pleased” with you too? How could such a thought motivate obedience?
8. Even though Jesus is Superior to the Angels ... angels are still very important. How are they described here? What are there jobs? (See 1:14)
9. Our theme for Hebrews is Jesus is Better. In chapter 1 we see Jesus is better than the prophets and the Angels. How is Jesus showing you that He is better today? What are you sometimes tempted to believe may be better than Jesus?
10. Spend some time envisioning Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father speaking a better word on your behalf (Hebrews 7:25). A word of healing, a word of forgiveness, a word of hope. Can you hear Him? He’s whispering ...”I’m better my child...draw near, look to Me.”

I’ll be praying for you all as you pray and study this week!

Prepared 1/9/18 by Steven Helfrich

Community Group Schedule

Dear Bridge Family - 

Our Community Groups will begin meeting again over the next few weeks. If you've been wanting to connect more deeply at The Bridge, these groups, most of which meet weekly, are a great way to plug in and experience all God is doing within our church family. Please click the button below to see the full schedule of groups and start dates. If you have any questions at all, please respond to this email or connect with us via our website. Sign-up sheets will be available in the lobby this Sunday as well. 

Have a great weekend, and see you Sunday!

New Year's Resolutions...Why even try?

I considered not making any New Year’s resolutions this year. After all, it seems as through I rarely keep them. It felt a bit dishonest to resolve to do something I might not actually do.

The sin I’ve clung to over the years – that I’ve often run back to when I've been overwhelmed or stressed out or needed comfort – and the one about which I’ve made many failed resolutions– is gluttony. Instead of running to my Father who loves me, I run to food. I stop pursuing physical health. I work more. I sleep less. I don’t exercise. And I eat whatever I want. And guess what? Like all sin, I end up weaker, more broken, and feeling worse than I did to begin with. There have been seasons in which the pattern has been broken and God has graciously provided freedom from it, and often, when I think I’ve overcome it, I've become apathetic or overconfident and fallen right back into it.

You know what’s refreshing though?

This is a struggle as old as the fall of man.

We’ll wrap up Nehemiah this Sunday, and you know how Nehemiah ends? In Nehemiah 12, the people of God dedicate the wall. They’ve accomplished what they set out to accomplish! They give great thanks to God, celebrate what has been done, and they make plans for continued obedience. But ten years later, they’re in full-fledged rebellion. They’re sinning like there’s no tomorrow, and they’re doing things that run contrary to the reasons they built the wall in the first place. They made resolutions. And then they broke them.

From Nehemiah, The Bridge is heading to Hebrews, but something has changed between Nehemiah and Hebrews. Rather, someone has changed the game. And Hebrews begins with an announcement of the One who provides freedom from the sin that plagues mankind.

Although I have broken resolution after resolution, and although the people of God broke their vows time and time again, God has been faithful. We’ll read in Hebrews about how He never gave up on His people. He doesn’t give up on you, and He doesn’t give up on me. Instead He has offered us the most precious gift in existence: through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He offered us Himself.

This is why we continue to make resolutions.

This is why in 2018, I’m resolving to walk in obedience when it comes to my health. I’m not giving up on resolutions. Because at the root of why I choose to go through a fast food drive-thru when I’m not hungry, or scroll through Instagram when I should close my eyes and get some sleep is a need for comfort in things that can’t bring me comfort. My heart is worshipping and seeking satisfaction elsewhere that only God Himself through Jesus can bring. He alone offers what my soul craves, and by the power of His Spirit and in the community of His church, this year I desire to rest so deeply in His love that it moves me toward fuller obedience for my good and His glory.

Whatever your resolution is this year – or whatever that thing is that you just haven’t been able to kick –  know this: your willpower won’t suffice. But His power is sufficient for you and for me. He has placed people around you to lift your arms when you get tired. He's given you His Spirit to supernaturally equip you to do things you could never do on your own. He didn’t give up on His people in Nehemiah, and He hasn’t given up on you. Don’t give up on yourself. 

May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. – 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Happy New Year!
Erika

Together in Community

Everyone is currently asking the question, “What did you get for Christmas?” Maybe because it’s fun to listen and share about wish lists come true, reflecting on good times we’ve had with others as we’ve exchanged gifts.  For many of us, it used to be the gifts that primarily got our focus, but more likely now it’s the people around us as the gifts are given that we enjoy the most.  It’s also that time of the season when we will look back and reflect on the year past as we anticipate the new one to come.  For some, the past year may have been chock full of cheer; yet for others it may have weighed heavy in pain.  In our focal text this week, we see the people of God coming together as a community to confess, mourn, pray, praise, and submit to God’s word.  As they enter this process, they are reminded of God’s gracious providence, experience renewed passion for Him, and recommit as a community called to live in His ways. 

Looking back over the past month, I am most grateful for the times shared together in community with friends and family.  I can recall some very special gatherings in recent times when I’ve been able to hear others share about their personal struggles and then be reminded about God’s faithfulness through those seasons.  There’s something special about coming together with other redeemed ones and recalling the redemptive pursuits of God in our lives.  Gathering in gospel community, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness to lead us rescued but still rebellious ones always back into His good and gracious presence and to our true identity as sons and daughters of THE King.  And if that’s true – can we really ever hear that said enough? 

Community groups at The Bridge have been on a semester break during the holidays and many of these will resume in the first couple weeks of January.  I know I’ve missed the regular engagement with parents and youth of the middle school group that I am normally with.  I know I look forward to reuniting our gatherings and gleaning from their stories and spiritual support as it always spurs me on to personal faith and action for Jesus.  I’m also excited about the prospects of facilitating another weekly CG for adults to meet in my own home space again.  So many opportunities to have conversations about God and His word, to share and pray over personal convictions, to bond over a shared mission of service, and to encourage each other in the good news and living hope of Jesus as the Christ.  I don’t want to take these opportunities for granted and I hope you won’t either.  The Bridge family has so much to be grateful for as we share in these gifts from God together. 

So as we embark on a new year, may it come to pass that we all hope in the assurance of Jesus to restore and sustain us forevermore.  May we know and relish our gracious Giver and the eternal Hope He lavishes on our lives through Christ.   May His extreme goodness and radical love compel us to supreme devotion toward our everlasting Father and His desires.  May you and I take every advantage of the truth in the gospel and the transforming power of His Holy Spirit for our lives.  May we be a people that value being together in community in order that we remember and recount God’s steadfast love through confessional praise and authentic conversation with others that God has placed around us.  May we be open to the work that God is doing in our midst right now and may we be earnest to unite as partners in faith knowing God works through all these things to draw each of us closer to Him and the heart of His Son.  All glory be to our Rescuer and King Jesus!

Grateful and hopeful in Christ,
Jon

A Confident Hope

This Sunday morning, we’ll sing a song we’ve heard many times before.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day is one of those songs we sing year after year, and yet I’d never really thought about the lyrics or learned about its history. Turns out – like many of the hymns we sing – the lyrics and its history are laden with extraordinary meaning and hope.

Famed American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow lived in Massachusetts in the 1800s and had six children with his wife, Fannie. In 1860, Fannie’s dress caught fire, and while Henry was badly burned trying to put out the fire with his own body, she tragically died the following morning, leaving behind Henry to care for their six children.

Two years later, at the age of 18, his eldest son Charley left home, to join President Lincoln’s Union army to fight in the Civil War. On December 1, 1863, Henry received a telegram that his son had been shot through the left shoulder and was severely wounded.

That same year, on Christmas Day, Henry “wrote a poem seeking to capture the dynamic and dissonance in his own heart and the world he observed around him. He heard the Christmas bells that December day and the singing of “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14), but he observed the world of injustice and violence that seemed to mock the truthfulness of this optimistic outlook. The theme of listening recurred throughout the poem, eventually leading to settledness of confident hope even in the midst of bleak despair.”*

This year, whether you find yourself in the midst of sadness and despair, or whether you find yourself in the midst of a season of great joy and abundance, may we rest and rejoice in the truth found in Romans 8:

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The baby in the manger grew up, walked the earth, gave up His life for you and me, and lives today to intercede for us. Even as we dwell on an earth still broken by sin and plagued by despair, like Longfellow, we have a confident hope in the One who overcame sin and despair…the One to whom every knee will one day bow, and every tongue will confess that He, Jesus Christ, is Lord. It's this truth that allows us to pray, "Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you," with expectant hearts, knowing that He has, indeed, been good.

The merriest of Christmases to you and your family!
Erika

*Taken from column by Justin Taylor, writing for The Gospel Coalition.