Sunday
Morning Bible Study
February
24, 2019
Introduction
The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish believers.
The author expects the
readers to be well acquainted with Levitical worship and sacrifice.
He will constantly quote the Old Testament in a way that expects that the
reader understands what he’s talking about.
We also know that these believers were encountering very strong
persecution.
Times were so bad that some were beginning to wonder if they shouldn’t quit
following Jesus.
We’ve seen three elements woven throughout this letter to the Hebrews.
1. Both Testaments
Even though the Old Testament has become “obsolete” (Heb. 8:13), the entire
book of Hebrews is built upon the clear foundation of the Old Testament.
(Hebrews 8:13 NKJV)
In
that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what
is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
You aren’t going to understand Hebrews, or even the New Testament correctly
unless you learn the Old Testament.
2. Jesus is superior
He’s superior to angels, Moses, and the Torah.
He’s superior to the Levitical priests and their sacrifices.
3. Don’t quit
The ultimate goal of the book is to encourage those who are struggling with
difficult times, and help them to endure.
In trying to encourage these struggling believers, our author took his
readers on a walk down memory lane as he laid out one example after another of
those in the Old Testament who learned to trust God despite the difficulties
they faced.
Now he turns their attention to something a little more recent.
The readers were not the only Christians to ever experience persecution.
In fact, many of the leaders of the early church had already been down that
road.
13:7-9 Strong Faith
:7 Remember those who rule
over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow,
considering the outcome of their conduct.
:7 Remember those who rule over you
He turns their attention to those leaders of the early church who have
already faced persecution, some of which have already died.
We know he’s talking about leaders in the church because he says that they
were the ones who have “spoken the word of God to you”.
That’s one of the things that leaders in the church ought to be about.
They ought to be about speaking and teaching God’s Word to the flock.
Yet the focus in our verse isn’t on their words, but their actions.
Remember – mnemoneuo μνημονεύω – to be mindful of, to
remember, to call to mind
Present active imperative, 2per. pl.
They were not only to remember those in the “hall of faith”, but to
remember those who helped start the church.
who rule over you – hegeomai ἡγέομαι – to lead; to go before; to rule,
command; to have authority over
present middle participle
We might think this is a pretty authoritative word, almost like the leader
of a cult.
But Jesus used the same word to say this:
(Luke 22:26 NKJV) But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest
among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who
serves.
There is a place for clear leadership in the church, but
it ought to come from a person who cultivates humility demonstrated with
servanthood.
(1 Thessalonians
5:12–13 NKJV) —12 And we urge you, brethren, to
recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish
you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at
peace among yourselves.
spoken – laleo λαλέω –
to speak
aorist active indicative
This is a characteristic of a leader in the church – they ought to be about
God’s Word – giving God’s Word to the people.
:7 whose faith follow
The readers are supposed to “follow” or literally, “mimic” the faith of
their leader/teachers because their faith resulted in a visible, observable
manner of life.
follow – mimeomai – to imitate: any one
present imperative
And this is all in the context of suffering.
:7 considering the outcome of their conduct
The word translated “considering” carries the idea of “looking at
attentively” or “investigate”. They were
to intentionally examine their leaders’ manner of life.
considering – anatheoreo ἀναθεωρέω
– to look at attentively, to consider well, investigate, to observe
accurately
Present active participle
Other less intense forms of this word are translated “theater” or
“spectacle”.
(Hebrews 10:33 NKJV) partly while you were made a spectacle
both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of
those who were so treated;
(Acts 19:29 NKJV) So the whole city was filled with
confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized
Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions.
Continuously investigated and paying close attention to.
The word translated “conduct” carries the idea of a person’s manner of
life, their behavior.
conduct – anastrophe ἀναστροφή – manner of life, conduct,
behavior; often used to convey moral conduct
(1 Peter
1:15 NKJV) but as He who called you is holy, you
also be holy in all your conduct,
(James 3:13 NKJV) Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by
good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of
wisdom.
The word is related to the word translated “conduct” last week:
(Hebrews 13:5 NKJV) Let your conduct be
without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He
Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
I shared this story recently at Beverly Leighton’s memorial service.
Illustration
A mom (Davida Dalton) writes:
It was a busy day in our Costa Mesa, California home. But then, with 10
children and one on the way, every day was a bit hectic. On this particular
day, however, I was having trouble doing even routine chores-all because of one
little boy.
Len, who was three at the time, was on my heels no matter where I went.
Whenever I stopped to do something and turned back around, I would trip over
him. Several times, I patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied.
“Wouldn’t you like to play on the swing set?” I asked again.
But he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, “Oh, that’s all right,
Mommy. I’d rather be in here with you.” Then he continued to bounce happily
along behind me.
After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, I began to lose my patience
and insisted that he go outside and play with the other children. When I asked
him why he was acting this way, he looked up at me with sweet green eyes and
said, “Well, Mommy, in preschool my teacher told me to walk in Jesus’
footsteps. But I can’t see him, so I’m walking in yours.”
We need people in our lives whose footsteps we can walk in.
Yet we too need to realize that others are watching us, wanting to know
what it’s like to be a Christian, and how a Christian handles difficulty.
Lesson
Difficulty’s Example
There is one word in this verse that I’d like to unpack a little.
outcome – ekbasis ἔκβασις (“out” + “to go”) – way out, exit;
result; end point of a duration
In our passage it is most likely referring to how these leaders “died” for
their faith.
It speaks of the manner in which they handled their
trials.
In the movie “The Last Samurai”, Tom Cruise’s 19th century American
who learns to appreciate and fight alongside the Samurai. He watches as a westernized Japan forgets its
roots and wipes out the last of the Samurai.
At the end, Cruise’s character presents the sword of that
last Samurai to the young Emperor.
Video: The Last Samurai –
Tell Me How He Died
The readers of Hebrews too are being challenged not just
in remembering how their leaders died, but how they lived, even through great persecution.
Our Greek word is used only in one other place in the New Testament.
(1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV) No temptation has overtaken you
except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow
you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also
make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
I’m not suggesting that the “way of escape” from our
temptations is “death”.
Yet perhaps another way of looking at our passage is that
people are watching how we handle temptation, and whether we learn to take the
“exit”.
Imitate those who have given you a good example to follow.
If you are a leader, be sure that you are leaving that good example for
others to follow.
:8 Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday, today, and forever.
:8 Jesus Christ is
the same… forever
yesterday – chthes – yesterday
The Greek reads literally,
“Jesus Christ yesterday and
today is the same also unto forever”
This could possibly be the most famous verse of Hebrews.
In a way, it hints at the deity of Christ, because the characteristic of
“never changing” (immutability) is something that belongs to God alone.
(Malachi 3:6 NKJV) “For I am the Lord,
I do not change;
(James 1:17 NKJV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes
down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of
turning.
(Numbers
23:19 NKJV) “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of
man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not
make it good?
Why is this verse here?
Even though some of their church leaders have changed (dead and gone),
nothing had really changed because Jesus has never changed.
Some of you will go through this as our church continues to change. You may get disillusioned because some of
your favorite leaders have handed the baton to others.
Some of these readers have been tempted to take their eyes “off of Christ”
(Heb. 12:2), but He’s the one they need to be looking to.
Where else would these believers turn to?
We’ve already seen over and over that Jesus is greater than everything.
Once when Jesus was saying some hard things to His listeners, some people
were uncomfortable and left Him. Jesus
asked His disciples if they were going to leave too.
(John
6:68 NKJV) But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life.
Jesus is just as much God’s Savior as when they first turned to Him, and He
will be the Savior unto eternity.
At times I get a little frustrated when people seem to get the idea that
God’s rules about salvation have changed over the years.
People will say, “Before Jesus you had to obey the law to be saved, but now
you just need to believe in Jesus”.
I beg to differ. Jesus has always
been the object of saving faith.
Chapter 11 was all about the men and women who trusted that God would
provide a Savior.
Yes, I know there was an “Old Covenant” and now there’s a “New Covenant”,
but I think it’s always been about Jesus.
When Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his only son…
(Genesis 22:8 NKJV)
And
Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt
offering.”
That’s about Jesus.
Our writer told us…
(Hebrews
11:13 NKJV) These all died in faith, not having received the
promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them
and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Their eyes were ahead, on what God would one day do.
The concept of being “saved by faith” is not a New Testament concept.
It’s rooted in the Old Testament.
(Habakkuk 2:4b NKJV) …But the just shall live by his
faith.
Lesson
He’s still the Savior
The “Unbroken” book and movies follow the life of Louie Zamperini. He was an amazing athlete. He fought in WWII. He was shot down in the Pacific and survived
47 days adrift at sea. He was captured
and then tortured for several years by the Japanese.
When the war was over, he came back to Southern California, but his life
was a total mess. He struggled with PTSD
and horrendous nightmares about one of his prison guards nicknamed “The
Bird”. Then his wife finally got him to
attend one of the early Billy Graham Crusades…
Video: Unbroken – Path to
Redemption – Louie Accepts Christ
My friends, this isn’t an “outdated” concept.
For thousands of years Jesus has been saving people who will turn from their
pain and sin and who will turn to trust Him.
Have you given your life to Christ yet?
He has always been God’s one and only plan for salvation.
:9 Do not be carried
about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart
be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have
been occupied with them.
:9 various and strange doctrines
From time to time teachings come down the pike that tell us that “this is
the way” to live the Christian life.
For some of our author’s readers, it’s the things they ate.
For good Jewish boys and girls, this would likely involve the keeping of
the dietary laws laid out in Leviticus.
My cardiologist is very happy when I do what God commanded Israel to do and
not eat “fat” (Lev. 3:17).
(Leviticus 3:17
NKJV) ‘This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your
generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’ ”
I myself am quite happy to obey the Law of Moses when God says not to eat
bats (Lev. 11:19), or lizards (Lev. 11:30)
(Leviticus 11:19
NKJV) the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
(Leviticus 11:30
NKJV) the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard,
and the chameleon.
Though there are some pretty good reasons why our lives might be healthier
if we followed some of these laws, the reality is that these things don’t put
you in a better standing with God.
Jesus said,
(Mark
7:19 NLT) Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the
stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every
kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)
Paul wrote,
(Romans
14:17 NLT) For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but
of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Your spiritual heart isn’t made right with God through what you eat or by
what you do. Instead…
doctrines – didache διδαχή – teaching; doctrine
dative, instrumental
various – poikilos ποικίλος – a various colors, variegated; of
various sorts
dative, instrumental
strange – xenos ξένος – a foreigner, a stranger; alien (from
a person or a thing)
dative, instrumental
carried about – periphero περιφέρω - to carry round, to bear about
everywhere with one; to carry here and there
Present passive imperative
good – kalos καλός – beautiful, handsome, excellent,
eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable
foods – broma βρῶμα –
that which is eaten, food
dative, instrumental
profited – opheleo ὠφελέω – to assist, to be useful or
advantageous, to profit
aorist passive indicative
have been occupied – peripateo περιπατέω – to walk; to make one’s way, progress;
to make due use of opportunities; to regulate one’s life; to conduct one’s
self; to pass one’s life
present active participle
:9 the heart be established by grace
heart – kardia καρδία – the heart
Accusative, subject of infinitive (be established)
be established – bebaioo βεβαιόω – to make firm, establish, confirm, make sure, unwavering
Present passive infinitive
(Colossians 2:6–7
NKJV) —6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in
Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as
you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
from – basis βάσις – that with which one steps, the foot
It carries the idea of having a firm footing.
A fighter that has his feet firmly planted is less likely to get knocked
down.
When you don’t have your feet planted well, it’s easy to stumble.
Video: Slippery Ice
Lesson
Stable by grace
The word “grace” is one of those words that’s hard to define.
grace – charis χάρις – grace; that which brings joy; good
will, favor
dative, instrumental
This is an important word for Christians (noun used 155x in NT), and it
doesn’t have a simple, all-encompassing one-word meaning.
It comes from the word for “rejoice”.
Grace is the thing that brings “rejoicing”.
from – chairo χαίρω – to rejoice, be glad
χάρις is the thing that brings
rejoicing
This isn’t “rejoicing” in the sense of a fleshly party,
but a pure, good type of rejoicing.
It’s used to describe the favor of a ruler.
In the O.T., χάρις often translates the Hebrew word chanan
Grace is what God gives when He hears a prayer (Ps.4:1),
heals (Ps.6:2), redeems (Ps.26:11), or forgives (Ps.51:1).
God does these things even though the one asking for God’s
help is weak (Ps.6:2), lonely (Ps.25:16), afflicted (Ps.31:9), or crying
(Ps.86:3).
“Grace” is a “gift” that is undeserved.
Our salvation isn’t based on what we’ve done, but on what
God has done for us.
(Ephesians
2:8 NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God
(Romans 11:6 NKJV) And if by grace, then it is
no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of
works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
The ultimate expression of God’s grace is Jesus Himself.
(Titus
2:11 NLT) For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all
people.
(John 1:14 NKJV) And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth.
Yet grace isn’t specifically limited to Jesus, grace is all
that God does for us freely and undeserved.
What makes you feel “stable” in life?
What keeps your heart from “slipping”?
Our Hebrew readers might be thinking they would be more “stable” if they
kept to the dietary laws.
Sometimes we mistakenly think that our lives would be easier and more
stable if God would take away certain problems.
Paul thought this way when he asked God to remove that pesky “thorn in the
flesh”.
(2
Corinthians 12:8–9 NKJV) —8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with
the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said
to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me.
Jesus told Paul that His “grace”, all the undeserved
things that God worked in Paul’s life, was “sufficient”.
What does that look like? Let me
give you some examples from the Bible.
Elisha and his servant were surrounded by a hostile army. The servant was freaking out at the sight of
it all. He probably thought that
“stability” would come from God removing the enemy.
(2 Kings 6:17 NKJV) And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may
see.” Then the Lord opened the
eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of
horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
The grace that the servant needed was for his eyes to be
opened.
They were not alone.
Neither are you. Is
that enough for you?
Jesus was walking with the crowds when He was met by a leper. This was somebody that nobody was allowed to
touch, lest they too become unclean.
The man asked Jesus if He was willing to make him clean,
probably expecting Jesus to speak a word and heal him.
Jesus did something even better.
(Matthew 8:3 NKJV) Then Jesus put out His hand
and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy
was cleansed.
This was more than healing. Jesus is willing to touch
you.
He wants you to find true cleansing. Is that enough for you?
Stephen was arrested for preaching the gospel and sentenced to death.
Stephen could have thought that “stability” would come if
he could get whisked away by an angel, or maybe some sort of armor to make the
stones bounce off him.
Instead…
(Acts 7:55 NKJV) But he, being full of the Holy
Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the
right hand of God,
And then Stephen died, and went to heaven where Jesus
welcomed him.
Jesus has a place in heaven for us too. Is that enough for you?
Be careful my friends of looking to the wrong things to make you “stable”
or “happy”.
What we really need is grace.