Hebrews (week four) Day 1 (Wednesday, Sept. 28) Week Three points - (List three main points discussed in week three): 1.____________________________________________________________ 2.____________________________________________________________ 3.____________________________________________________________ Read Hebrews 4:1. The opening word “Therefore” refers us back to the previous chapter (3:7-19). Review verses 3:16-19. Fill in the missing words from these scriptures: 3:16 - “For who provoked Him when they had __________?” 3:18 - “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were _________________.” 3:19 - “…they were not able because of ________.” Hebrews 4:1 tells us that a promise remains to enter His ________. 1. Who is this promise made to? _________________________________________ 2. In your own words describe what His rest looks like today. ___________________ __________________________________________________________________ 3. Verse 1 tells us that we may face a danger, what is it? _____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Day 2 - (Thursday, Sept. 29) Re-read Hebrews 4:1. The phrase “…let us fear…” is found in the beginning of the verse. How did it relate to the Israelites? How does it relate to us today? ________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Read Exodus 23:20-33. Canaan is compared to entering God’s rest. This passage tells us how God intended His people to live and relate to Him. from your observation of this passage fill in the following blanks: 1. V.20 - God sends an __________ to guard and guide His people. 2. V.22 - A requirement for experiencing God’s provision was ___________________. 3. V.22 - God promises to be an ____________ to there enemies. 4. V.23 - 24 With God on their side there chance of victory was ________%. 5. V.25 - He promised to supply ________ and ________ and remove ___________. 6. V.29 - “…the land may not become __________ and the beasts of the field become too ______________. 7. V.30 - He promised that they would become _____________. Hebrews (week four) Day 3 - (Friday, Sept. 30) Read Hebrews 4:2-5. Review the list from day 2. These were some of God’s promises to Israel. What might these promises look like for us who believe today in the following areas of life? • in sickness _____________________________________________________ • in finances _____________________________________________________ • in temptations ___________________________________________________ • in adversity _____________________________________________________ • in prosperity ____________________________________________________ • in fruitfulness ___________________________________________________ • What chance of success do you believe God for in these areas relevant to His plan for you? __________% Consider the following in your answers above: Does He promise a covenant relationship with true believers? ____ yes _____ no Does He promise spiritual growth to those who seek after Him? ____ yes ____ no Do we have immediate access to the throne of God? ____ yes ____no Do we have His complete forgiveness offered to us? ____ yes ____ no Does He promise to provide for our needs? ____ yes ____ no Does He promise the joy of His Holy Spirit (the comforter) ____ yes ____ no Does He offer us rest from our weary labors, trials and tribulations? ____yes ____no Based on all of the above, how important is maintaining a close relationship with Him? ____________________________________________________________________ Day 4 - (Saturday, Oct. 1) Read Exodus 20:10. Now read Hebrews 4:6-11. In your own words, what is different about the spiritual rest offered to believers today and the physical rest found in the Exodus verse? _____________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ What is the same? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ What is the “good news” mentioned in verse 2? _______________________________ Read the footnote 4:6 at the bottom of page 1457. What is better according to Charles Stanley than work? ________________. God worked and then rested, Jesus worked and then rested, we should work then _____________. Day 5 - (Sunday, Oct. 2) Re-read Hebrews 4:7-11. God fixes an urgency upon our response to His speaking. When does He say we should act (v.7)? __________. Verse 9 re-states God’s promise to us (believers). There remains a _____________ _________. Verse 10 re-states God’s intended pattern for life, we should rest from our ________ just as God did. Verse 11 warns us of the danger if we fail to be diligent about entering His rest; we might ________. (Note: diligence is the opposite of drifting.) Hebrews (week four) What does this tell us about gathering together, hearing the word, studying God’s word and prayer? ___________________________________________________________ Day 6 - (Monday, Oct. 3) Read Hebrews 4:12-13. Look for the words that describe the Word of God in verse 12 and list them below. The Word of God is ________________. The Word of God is ________________. The Word of God is ________________. The Word of God is ________________. The Word of God is ________________. Read Ephesians 6:17. What is the Word of God? _____________________________ Verse 12 tells us of the abilities of the Word. Verse 13 gives us insight to the endless application of the Word. What is hidden from His sight? _________________________ Day 7 - (Tuesday, Oct. 4) Read Hebrews 4:14-16. The theme of Jesus being our high priest is re-introduced in these verses and will carry into chapter 5. Verse 14 transitions from all of the reasons we just covered, including the power of God’s Word, His wonderful knowledge of us, to His familiarity of our weaknesses (v.15) - giving us ample reason for having the needed confidence to draw near to the throne of grace. Re- state what you have found in verses 12-16 into a personal statement of belief and confidence in God. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Diving Deeper “What Happens When We Die?” (continued from week 3) In 2 Corinthians 5:1-9, in speaking about the contrast between our living in an earthly tent while longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, Paul encourages us that the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a “pledge” - a down payment on our promise of heaven (v.5). He goes on to say that “while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord” (v.6), and this life on earth is where “we walk by faith, not by sight” (v.7); but “to be absent from the body” is “to be home with the Lord” (v.8). So what happens during that period of time between our death and the resurrection - during that period of “sleep”, when our body returns to the dust, what happens to our spirit? Exactly … we don’t fully know, but Paul reassuringly declares: “For I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Timothy 1:12). Hebrews (week four) So while there are a number of things that are clear, we do not have a complete grasp on every detail. We still walk by faith not by sight. Yet, for believers in Jesus Christ, because of having received the free gift of salvation resulting in eternal life, we have the confident expectation that Christ will receive us to Himself, and whatever it is that takes place, and however it is that it happens, we will be granted entrance into Heaven. This we can know for certain: “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). In generations past, how is it that you faced that eternity was a matter of fascination. The final chapter of many early biographies routinely presented the manner of one’s death - not the fact that they had died, but rather what happened to them as they were dying. This was common whether the subject of the biography was a noted clergyman such as the Rev. George Whitfield or a prominent atheist such as Voltaire. Investigating the manner of dying did not occur because of a morbid sense of curiosity on the part of biographers but rather as a result of Christianity’s impact on the general culture. ………to be continued Founders Bible, P. 1987 .