Bringing it Home “God’s Better Plan” Š Dr. Jeremiah 1. Dr. Jeremiah said, “When the reality has come, the pictures become obsolete. June 26, 2011 Who needs the picture when you can have the Person?” In what ways can the Hebrews 8:1-13 picture (rules, regulations) be more desirable than the real person ()? Why do you think people are afraid of moving from the picture to the real Small Group Questions person of Jesus? I. The place where our High Priest ministers - Hebrews 8:1-6a A. His seat of majesty – Hebrews 8:1; 10:11 B. His sanctuary of ministry - Hebrews 8:2-6a 1. The perfection of His ministry - Hebrews 8:2; 9:24 2. The performance of His ministry - Hebrews 8:3; 9:13-14 3. The preeminence of His ministry - Hebrews 8:4-6a

II. The provision that our High Priest makes - Hebrews 8:6b-13 A. He replaces the inferior with the superior - Hebrews 8:6b-9 2. In what area of your life are you still relying on religion to be a counterfeit 1. The old covenant was conditional - Exodus 19:5 relationship with Jesus? How are you keeping Jesus out of your life and 2. The old covenant was comprehensive - Exodus 20-31 allowing rules and rituals to be your plan for life? How can you move toward 3. The old covenant was condemning - Hebrews 8:9b Jesus, your forever Great High Priest, and allow Him to continue to work His better plan to change you from the inside out? B. He replaces the external with the internal - Hebrews 8:10a; Ezekiel 11:19-20; Romans 7:12; Exodus 19:7-8; Galatians 3:21

C. He replaces the conditional with the unconditional - Hebrews 8:10b

D. He replaces inadequate knowledge with intuitive knowledge - Hebrews 8:11

E. He replaces faulty forgiveness with final forgiveness - Hebrews 8:12

F. He replaces an obsolete covenant with a relevant covenant - Hebrews 8:13; Matthew 27:50-51

Question Number One: When will Israel realize the full benefits of the ? Jeremiah 30:1-3, 7; 50:4-5; Romans 11:26-27

Question Number Two: What is my relationship to the new covenant? - :31; Romans 9:4-5; Matthew 26:27-29; I Corinthians 11:25

www.shadowmountain.org/smallgroups 2100 Greenfield Drive, El Cajon, CA 92019, 619.440.1802 © Copyright 2011 by Shadow Mountain Ministries Getting Started 3. This week, we heard, “The old covenant made demands that the recipients of 1. What is the difference between a good plan and a better plan? For instance, the covenant were simply unable to meet.” Read these scriptures and discuss it’s summer. If you are going to go on vacation, what does a good vacation the limitations of a sinful, evil heart. What keeps a sinful heart from complying look like? What would a better vacation look like? What makes one vacation with the old covenant? better than another? Ecclesiastes 9:3

Jeremiah 17:9

Matthew 23:25

1. Describe a time when you came up with a good plan (plan A) and then found out there was a better plan (plan B). What was it like to shift gears from plan A Mark 7:20-23 to plan B? What happened internally (mind and heart) when you moved from plan A to plan B? Galatians 5:19-21

4. Dr. Philip Blaiberg said of his old heart (from a heart transplant surgery), “So this is my old heart that caused me so much trouble.” Read Ezekiel 11:19-20. Digging Deeper How does a heart of stone (keeping external rules) fail us? How does living in 1. How do people make plans for God, but don’t check-in with God (, a rule-keeping posture toward Jesus keep us from experiencing a real prayer, wise counsel) about those plans? Describe a time you witnessed relationship with Him? How has Jesus, your Great High Priest, done a spiritual someone make a lot of plans for God, and then those plans failed because heart transplant and completely changed your life? they weren’t in line with God’s Word and His direction.

2. What is it about the old covenant law that the Israelites were attracted to? 5. Describe a time when God has taken something you have learned (external What did the law give them? How could they rely on it? And yet, how was the information) and created internal change in your life? How did what you law “weak” (Romans 8:3)? Where did it stop working for the people? What learned move beyond information to life-change? was lacking in the law? How was it insufficient?