TVCC Students,
As always we are so blessed to worship with you all on Wednesday evenings. It is so refreshing to us to worship with you all. This past Wednesday Sonny taught us about how Christ fulfilling the law would have turned the lives of these early Hebrews completely upside down. Belief in Jesus would have cost them so much and there is much we can learn from them and the letter written to them. Here is a recap...
Hebrews 10
-10:26-27: As we said last week, this letter was written to a Jewish crowd (the Hebrews) that were coming out of the system of the law. They were rule followers who often found their identity in being rule keepers. The fact is (the author points out), is that the Lord is coming against sinners and the law could not/cannot completely eradicate sin completely. This is a terrifying thing. Go back to verse 18... now that Christ has come, there no longer remains a sacrifice under the old law that will offer cleansing. Jesus has paid the price in full. The old system has been done away with- one cannot earn righteousness on their own. Trying to find righteousness apart from Christ leads only to God's wrath as sin would still remain. We need Jesus alone!
Q: What are you really trusting in to get you to heaven? Are you depending on your own "goodness" or are you really trusting in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection? Read Isaiah 64:6. How does this verse relate to Hebrews 10?
-10:26-31: When we see how much we deserve His wrath, we really should appreciate so much more His incredible kindness through Christ. Only Jesus can save! We are under grace now and the old, incomplete law has been done away with. We are forgiven in Christ!
Q: When was the last time you spent a little while meditating and being thankful for the forgiveness that you have in Christ?
-10:32- 34: When these Hebrew people came to Christ, it cost them so much. The old system of the law had been their whole life and they had to lose and give that up in order to gain Christ. For some of them it meant isolation from family, the loss of jobs, or even physical persecution. Through everything though, a true believer will agree with Paul in Philippians 3- nothing compares to knowing Jesus. Knowing Jesus is so worth it BUT it is difficult! Christ changes your whole life!
Q: Read 2 Timothy 3:12. What are your thoughts on this verse in light of Hebrews 10? How does this correspond with your life and what the Lord is calling believers to?
-10:32-34: The prize that Christ offers is so much better than anything the law could offer. If we look ahead to Hebrews 12:26 we see the kingdom that we are offered through Christ is an everlasting one. This is seen throughout the whole scriptures. This life here is just a small speck in light of eternity. When we realize this, we can endure hardships. This life is just a vapor. It is just the beginning of eternity! Remember this!! The author of Hebrews was calling believers to be living for the kingdom that will last forever. Our calling in Christ has not changed!
Q: Read 1 Peter 1. How does this relate to Hebrews 10? How are you personally doing at remembering that this life is fading fast and that we should be living for eternity? What changes do you feel the Lord calling you to make in light of the truths of Hebrews 10 and 1 Peter 1?
-10:35-38: God’s righteous ones will live by faith! This is not something that we can muster up on our own or even sustain on our own. Faith is a gift from the Lord (Ephesians 2:8-9). We must continually be depending on the Lord to sustain our faith and make us pleasing to Him. Again, we must also understand that we are inheriting an everlasting kingdom and this life is not what we should be living for. We should not care about the things of this life because this really isn’t LIFE. Let us endure this life with complete dependance on His Spirit which lives in us through faith. This life changes so rapidly let us live for what really matters by the power of the Spirit. Let us invest in the people around us and call them to something higher- to Jesus! The song of the believer should continually be... For us to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).
Q: What does it look like on a daily basis to be depending on the Spirit to sustain your faith? What changes do you feel the Lord calling you to make in light of Hebrews 10 and Philippians 1:21?
-10:39: Since we have confidence through Jesus, let us draw near with assurance. Jesus has made us righteous. We are so faithless and needy but He is faithful! Again, we must remember that we cannot sustain our faith- Jesus sustains us through the Spirit. He saves us and He brings our faith to completion!
Q: Read 1 Thessalonians 5:24. What life implications does this verse have in light of Hebrews 10?
Q: The day is drawing near when this life will be done. How ought we to live in light of that truth and our calling in Christ?
Dear Students,
We think and pray for you so often. We are praying that this week you will be depending continually on the Spirit to sustain and grow your faith. We pray that both the good and bad times will draw you closer to Lord. We love you all and pray that you will be enjoying your Savior this week.
With hope,
~Sonny and Casi
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