Coastline Bible Church just started a brand new sermon series called: "Greater." For the next several months we are going to look through the book of Hebrews together. The book of Hebrews was written to a Jewish audience living in the first century. They are likely experiencing persecution and thinking about abandoning their faith. The author teaches us how Jesus is greater than: the prophets, angels, Moses, Abraham, the Law, the old covenant, and the high priest. We learn that Jesus is greater than anything that has preceded Him. For this series I volunteered to write the small group questions that go along with each sermon. It seemed like a waste to leave them in a file on my computer and not share them with everyone.
Small Group Questions | Worthy of Honor | Hebrews 3:1-6
In Hebrews 3 we come to the second encouragement in the letter to the early church: fix your thoughts on Jesus. The short statement has such power. The letter was written to Jewish believers who grew up in Hebrew homes. They knew the Old Testament, the Law, and then trusted Jesus as their Savior. But the pressure from the outside world was causing many of them to leave Jesus and return to Jewish customs. In Hebrews 3 the author encourages the believers to fix their thoughts on Jesus. He wanted them to place their confidence in Jesus and not in the Law. His hope was for them to hold firmly to the confidence they have in Jesus knowing what we focus on is where we will end up.
1) In the early 2000’s a game called: ‘Bigger and Better’ gained national attention when Kyle MacDonald traded a paper clip up for a home! What is the fascination in our culture getting something bigger and better?
2) Read Hebrews 3:1-2. We are encouraged to fix our thoughts on Jesus. Share about a time in your life when you were so focused on accomplishing something you spent all your time to make it a reality. How do you fix your thoughts on Jesus?
3) The New Testament has an emphasis on the renewing of our mind (Matthew 22:37, Romans 8:5, and Colossians 3:9-10). Discuss how Jesus has renewed your mind and what the outcome has been? How has your thinking changed for the better?
4) The early believers wanted to return to Moses. Read Hebrews 3:3-4. To return to Moses meant to return to the Law and the law can never save us. Have you ever been tempted to walk away from Jesus? What tempted you to leave?
5) Read Exodus 3:1-13 and John 14:6-14. Write out some of the differences between the ways Jesus and Moses accepted their calls. Have you explored the call God has on your life? What do you think it is?
6) Moses was faithful as a servant and Jesus was faithful as a Son (read Hebrews 3:5-6). Read Numbers 12:-19 and Romans 8:1-8. Talk about how Moses and Jesus were both faithful to the call God had on their lives.
7) Scripture teaches us that we are a house of God. Read Matthew 25:14-21 and Mark 10:43-45. How can we focus our attention on serving others this week in an effort to bring glory to God?
Close your time in prayer. Pray for strength to invite a friend to meet Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment