Hebrews: Greater Than… Part 6 The Final Sacrifice, A New Covenant Selections from Hebrews 8-10 June 2, 2019
I. Why this PRIEST is BETTER. (8:1)
A. He BRINGS a better COVENANT. (8:1-9:10)
B. He BECOMES a better SACRIFICE. (9:11-28)
C. He is the REALITY behind the SHADOWS. (10:1-18)
Once again, Jesus is greater. He’s been greater than angels, greater than Moses, greater than the priests, and now He’s greater than the sacrificial system that the Jews saw as the key to their relationship with and forgiveness from God. Jesus is greater.
1. Kid’s question: Have you ever made shadow figures with your hands? How were the figures like your hands and how were they different?
2. While animal sacrifice seems a long way from us today, what ways do we subtly try to earn God’s favour and acceptance?
II. This CHANGES everything FOREVER. (10:10-38)
A. Forgiven ONCE and for ALL. (10:10-14)
B. RESTORED into RELATIONSHIP. (10:19-23)
C. TRANSFORMED to live DIFFERENTLY. (10:24-25)
Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, once for all, we are forgiven. There is nothing left to do. All the payment for every sin we have or ever will commit has been dealt with through the cross. We are not only free to live in a relationship with God, we are fully transformed to live differently because of what Jesus has done.
3. Have you ever felt God was punishing you for your behaviour? Is that possible in light of this text?
4. Read 10:19-25 a couple of times out loud. What phrases stand out to you as you read? Why do you think that is?
III. Then COMES the SCARY part… (10:26-31)
A. The WARNING about WRATH. (10:26-31)
B. REMEMBER the CONTEXT of the book. (2:1-4; 4:1; 5:11-6:12)
C. The relationship between WRATH and GRACE. (10:26)
Remember how each section of “Greater Than” has a warning attached to it. This one is no different. And just as Jake has shared in the past two weeks, these warnings can be a bit scary to us, unless we take the time to see them within the context of the whole book.
5. In the past when you have read 10:26 what did you interpret the phrase “go on sinning” to mean? Does that make sense in light of the context? Why or why not?
6. Do you agree or disagree with Jeff’s interpretation regarding wrath and grace in this text? How would you explain the relationship between wrath and grace?
IV. LIVING as if Jesus is really GREATER. (10:35-39)
A. In DIFFICULTY, default to GRACE. (10:19-25, 32-39)
B. Let go of SELF-SUFFICIENCY. (10:14; 9:27-28)
C. Cling to CONFIDENCE and HOPE. (10:23,35; 6:19)
The problem is not that we don’t intellectually assent to the truth. We know that Jesus is greater, it’s just that when the difficult times hit we often live as if He is not. We default to our own efforts in an attempt to work things out on our own. The writer of the Hebrews reminds us of the foolishness of that approach.
7. How do you react to difficulty and trial? What would it look like to “default to grace” in those situations?
8. What are the areas that you are prone to “self-sufficiency”in your own life and what are some practical steps you can take to let go of that tendency and cling to the hope that Jesus offers?