Hebrews

Chapters 7-13

Chapter 7 –Melchizedek Is Compared To Abraham

Who is this King-Priest, Melchizedek that our Lord Jesus is compared to and why is he so important?  He first appeared on the scene in Gen. 14:18-20 and then disappeared.  David mentions him again in Ps. 110:4, disappears again until we find him once again in Hebrews.  We know little about him, but one thing we do know, God arranged his life so that he would be an excellent type of our Lord Jesus.  In the first three verses, we have some historical information about him.  He was king and priest –we see no other character in Scripture with dual roles.  He was king of Salem (later called Jerusalem), and the priest of the Most High God.  He was a political and spiritual leader of his people.  Our society today insists on separating the role of politics and religion, but this is God’s ideal and we see it played out in this man.  We won’t see it again until Christ returns to reign on this earth in His kingdom as our King and High Priest.

That this was a great man there is no doubt.  There is no indication that Mel helped Abraham in his battles, yet Abraham gave him a 10% gift of the spoils of battle after being blessed by him.  It was customary to give a tithe to the Levitical Priesthood, but as of yet, they were not established.  Contrary to Hebrew custom, there is no trace of his genealogy whatsoever, neither his birth nor his death.

1. What is the main point in the comparison of Abraham and Mel?  How do Abraham’s tithe and the blessing of Mel show the greatness of Mel?  (A) The main point is that they were both great men of their day; Abraham considered the Father of the Hebrews and Melchizedek, the king of Salem.  There was no known precedent to pay this king-priest a tithe.  He had no part in the rescue of Lot.  The blessing from Mel unto Abe was significant because blessing always extends from the higher to the lesser, showing the superiority of Melchizedek.  All of this is a forerunner to first the Aaronic Priesthood and then to the superiority of Christ’s Priesthood.  Like Abraham, Mel did not inherit his role of priest-king; God appointed both to their roles.
2. The author uses Melchizedek’s priesthood to show the superiority of Christ’s priesthood.  How is it superior (v.11-28)?  (A) That Mel was not of the Aaronic line but an appointed priest of God shows that the Levitical line of priests, descended from Aaron could never completely fulfill God’s purpose.  The law was based on the Aaronic priesthood and these priests were the only ones who could administer it.  When God sent a different priest not of Aaron’s line, it was a symbol that if the priesthood is changed, the entire legal structure must also be changed to permit it.  In essence, it means that we are no longer under the law.
3. What was Jesus’ part in the change?  (A) First, He was not from the tribe of Levi, but from the tribe of Judah.  No one but Levite’s could administer the law.  Pointing forward to the Messiah’s priesthood, David says in Psalm 110:4, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”  The emphasis is on the word “forever.”  It was assumed that Mel never died so his priesthood is still in effect; Christ lives forever and with Him His priesthood.  The law, which set up the Aaronic priesthood, was annulled because of its weakness and unprofitableness.  It has been canceled by the first coming (the advent) of Christ.  Christ’s priesthood was superior because The Father God appointed Christ with an oath (v.21), “The Lord has sworn and will not relent, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (Ps.110: 4).” 
4. V. 22 is important because it speaks of the New Covenant sworn to by God and executed by the Lord Jesus.  What is the New Covenant?  (A) It is an unconditional agreement of grace, which God will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah when the Lord Jesus sets up His kingdom on earth.  We first see this New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah in Jer. 31:31-34 and we will look at it further in chapter 8.  Jesus is the guarantee of the NC because of His death, burial and resurrection.  On that basis, God can fulfill the terms of the Covenant.
5. The High Priest played an important role in the atonement for sins of the people but was limited in his role and because of his earthly life span.  Jesus is different in His role as our High Priest.  How?  (A)  VV. 24-28 – Because of His resurrection, Jesus lives on forever in His High priestly role.  The Jewish priest gave limited atonement, but “Jesus is able, once and forever, to save everyone(to perfection) who comes to God through Him.  As High Priest, He lives forever to plead with God on their behalf (v.25).”  Unlike other priests who needed to make constant sacrifice for the sins of the people and for themselves, Jesus did this once for all when He sacrificed Himself on the cross.  The sin question is no more!

Chapter 8 –Christ Is Our High Priest

The author continues to show that Christ’s ministry is superior to Aaron’s.  He shows us in vv.1-5 that He ministers in a better sanctuary, heaven, and in connection with a better covenant (vv.7-13).  He makes his main point; that we have such a High Priest!  In contrast to the Jews of the OC who had the tabernacle, the priesthood, the offerings and the ceremonies, who had the temple and the priestly garments, we, the believers can say, “Yes you have all the outward trappings but we have the fulfillment, Jesus Christ.  Our High Priest sits at the right hand of the Father God, in the place of highest honor!  He serves His people in the true tent (the sanctuary) of heaven.”  The early Jewish Tabernacle was only a copy or representation of the real Tabernacle in heaven.  The Lord Himself built His Tabernacle in heaven.  In His Priestly role, He too makes sacrifices (we’ll see in chapter 9 what that sacrifice is).

1. V. 4 says that here on earth Jesus could not have been a priest.  Is this true?  (A) He could not have been a Temple priest because by law he had to be a descendent of Aaron from the tribe of Levi.  We see in Scripture that Christ entered the area around the temple but never entered the Holy of Holies.  However, this did not stop Him from performing the functions of the Melchizedekan priest.  His prayer in John 17 is a high priestly prayer and His offering of Himself at Calvary was a priestly act.
2. Why does the author emphasize in v.5 the fact that the earthly tabernacle was only a shadow of the heavenly sanctuary?  (A) He wanted to impress on the minds of those tempted to fall back into Judaism that they were leaving the substance for the shadows when they should be going from the shadow to the substance.  We would see this today when a person professes a Christian, who walks the Christian walk for a while, but renounces his faith and returns to the legalism that strangles His relationship with His Lord.
3. All of this leads up to the fact that because of our High Priest, the Lord Jesus, we now have a New and better Covenant, based on better promises.  What are the promises?  (A) The OC of law promised blessing for obedience but threatened death for disobedience.  It required righteousness but did not give the ability to produce it.  The NC is an unconditional covenant of grace.  It imputes (credits to the believer’s account) righteousness where there is none.  It teaches men to live righteously and empowers them to do so, and then rewards them when they do.
4. Was the first covenant bad?  (A) It in itself was holy, just and good (Rom. 7:12).  The trouble was with the people (v.7).  The OC was based on man’s promise to obey, but man could never live up to the command.  The New Covenant is about what God will do, not man.  VV. 10-12 beautifully shows the transition from the Old to the New.  It emphasizes God’s promises by continually quoting Him to say “I will” –He  already does it all for us and He will continue forever to bless His people.  It is in His hands.
5. Name some of the promises (vv.10-12).  (A) “I will” – “put my laws in their minds so they will understand them;” “write them on their hearts so they will obey them;” “be their God ( implies eternality);” “they will be My people;”  “they will not need to teach their neighbors;”  “nor will they need to teach their family;”  “For everyone from the least to the greatest will already know Me;  “I will forgive their wrongdoings and I will never again remember their sins.”
6. Does this NC apply to all believers?  (A) We must remember the status of the church at the end time when this NC finds its fulfillment.  The church is removed at the Rapture and is complete at that time.  We are the Bride of Christ!  This NC deals primarily with the nation of Israel, which will find it’s fulfillment when Christ comes back to reign over the repentant and redeemed nation.  In the meantime, some of the blessing of the Covenant are enjoyed by all believers, as in communion wherein Christ says, “This is the NC in My blood…”  (1 Cor. 11:25).

Chapter 9 – Old Rules About worship

The first eight chapters are devoted to a brief description of the Tabernacle and later the Temple and its ceremonies. 

1. V.7 – Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year and always with blood.  What is the significance of  the blood?  (A) This is the blood of sacrifice and is central to (9:1 – 10:18 where it identifies the deaths of the OT sacrifices and of Christ.  The actual shedding of the blood in and of itself an insufficient sacrifice.  Christ had not only to shed His blood, but also to die.  Heb.10:10 says that He gave His blood as the sacrificial offering.  Without His death, His blood had no saving value.
2. What is the primary lesson taught by the HS concerning the Tabernacle (v.8)?  (A) There was no direct access into God’s presence under the law.  Rather, it kept them away.  Nearness had to be provided in another way.  It teaches how inaccessible God is apart from the death of Christ.  Only Christ could open the way.
3. What is the “illustration” spoken of in v.9?  (A) The tabernacle system was a picture of something better to come; it was and imperfect representation of Christ’s perfect work.  The gifts and sacrifices could never make the worshipers perfect in regard to their conscience.  In other words, if complete payment for sins had been acquired, then the offerer’s conscience would have been free from the guilt of sin.  However, this never happened.  The problem was that the Levitical system dealt only in ceremonial and ritual cleansing of external things such as clean and unclean food and drinks and ceremonial washing that rid the people of ritual impurity, but they did not deal with moral uncleanness.
4. V.11 describes the fulfillment of the OC.  (A) From the viewpoint of the Levitical system, the “good things” that is, eternal redemption, are yet to come (the end time when Israel is redeemed), but in the perspective of the Christian era the realities of redemption “have come” because Christ completed His work.
5. Did Christ take actual “blood” with Him into the Most Holy Place (v.12)?  (A)  A better translation reads, “through His blood” - He obtained eternal redemption.  He paid the price – forever!
6. Are the “deeds that lead to death (v.14)” only the sinful acts we partake in?  (A)  It includes our dead works, which are dead because the unsaved are “dead in trespasses and sins” Eph.2:1), “their works are worthless and unproductive” (Gal 2:16), and “they end in death” (Rom. 6:23).  Nothing we can ever do will make us worthy of the eternal redemption Christ offers us through His death, burial , and resurrection.  He did it all!
7. The NLT reads, “…so that we can worship the living God” (v.14), but the NKJV reads, “cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”  Is there a difference?  (A) Not really, but the word “worship” today is thrown about so loosely.  Salvation is not an end in itself.  The believer has been freed from sin to serve God, saved to serve (Rom. 6:16-18, 1 Thess.1:9).  Worship is part of that service.  When God called us and saved us, set us apart, the process did not stop there.  We were filled with the HS and given spiritual gifts that we must use.  If we are to honor Him, we use what He gives us for His glory.
8. If the NC is primarily for the future nation of Israel, discuss v.15 among yourselves, whom this all includes.  (A) obviously the 144,00 Jewish witnesses during the Trib. Period; all those they lead to Christ: some Gentiles who have not before heard the Word but now believe and one other group.  Note the end of v.15, “For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of death for the sins they had committed under the first covenant.”  Notice the verb tense for “had committed” - past perfect tense –the sins had all already been committed by this group.  Which group?  Those OT Hebrews under the first covenant!  God still and always will, have a place, a heart and a plan for His people, Israel.  This salvation work has a special name called pretermission of sins.  Jesus death on the cross retroactively redeemed all those called ones who had believed in God under the OC (Rom. 3:24-26).
9. What is one other role of Christ in the fulfillment of the NC (v.15)?  (A)  He fills the role of Mediator between God and the people.  Satan will constantly stand before God and accuse us of our past sins.  Jesus stands between Satan and God so that when the Father sees us, He sees only Jesus and His finished work, His death as payment in full.  Praise God!
10. Many of us have relatives, friends and loved ones who have passed away.  Most of us understand the importance of a will and that it becomes effective only upon the death of the party whose will  it is.  VV.16-18 show the necessity of Christ’s death.  The benefits and provisions of the will are only promises until the one who wrote the will dies.  Death activates the promises into realities.
11. As blood was necessary in the OT Levitical system and used to cleanse most types of sins.  Atonement could be made for some sins without a blood sacrifice, but forgiveness without shedding of blood there is no remission (forgiveness) (v.22).
12. In heaven, we have all of the real models of the Levitical system –the Tabernacle, the sacrifice and all that is necessary for purification.  On earth, this purification was done with the blood of goats and lambs; in heaven a far better sacrifice is made, the Lord Jesus and His blood.
13. The section ends with a divine hope.  He did not go to heaven in order to die again and again for our sins.  He came once for all time, at the end of the age (the end of the OC age), to remove the power of sin forever by His sacrificial death for us (v.26).  “When He returns in glory (the end time), it will not be to deal with our sins again.  This time He will bring salvation to all who are eagerly awaiting Him (v.28).”

Chapter 10 –Christ’s Sacrifice Once For All

The author continues to compare the benefits  and the shortcomings of the OC against the perfection of the NC to come.  The law was but a shadow of the perfection, which is promised to Israel at the end time.  The term “perfect cleansing” in v.v..  1,2, refers to salvation, which the law could not provide.  The OT sacrifices not only could not remove sins, but their constant repitition was a constant reminder that it could not.  The promise of the NC was that sin would be removed and even God would “remember” their sins “no more” (8:12).

1. If the Levitical system could not remove or forgive sin, what was its purpose (vv.3,4)?  (A)  It was preparatory for the coming of the Messiah (Gal. 3:24) in that it made people expectant.  It showed that sin had to be covered and the OT sacrifices did so with the death of an animal.  It revealed the necessity of full and complete forgiveness so that God would have His desired fellowship with His people.  Why would He want that, knowing who we are and what we do?  Simply because He loves us so much!
2. In vv.5,-10, we see why the NC needed to be established by Jesus and by Jesus alone.  (A) God did not want sacrifices given by a person who did not give them out of a sincere heart – it was worse than no sacrifice at all.  But Jesus was given a human body (v.5) so that He might obey the Father.  He confesses to the Father in full submission, “Look, I have come to do your will, o God…”(v.7).  What a great example He is for us!
3. It was impossible for the law to make a person holy, so God sent Jesus to do away with that imperfect First Covenant so that He could establish the Second (v.9).  What does this NC hold for the Gentile believer as well as the Jew?  (A) “God wants for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ once for all time.”  Our word “Sanctify” means “to be made holy,” to be set apart from sin by God.  When Christ fulfilled the will of God, He provided for the believer a continuing, permanent condition of holiness (Eph. 4:24).  This is the believer’s positional sanctification as opposed to the progressive sanctification that results from daily walking by the will of God. Christ only died one time and it was sufficient forever.  No one can take that away from us!
4. V. 14 is our memory verse for the day.  It sums up the gospel and the finished work of Christ wherein we find our eternal assurance.  “For by that one offering He perfected forever all those whom He is making holy.” By His death on the cross, planned by God from before the beginning of time, Jesus made perfect forever (it is finished, the work complete, and we are perfect in God’s eyes because of Jesus); who is?  All those whom He keeps sanctifying (making into the image of Christ) until that day of our ultimate sanctification when we are glorified.  Praise God!  Hold on to this truth and no one can ever fool you in believing that there is more that you have to do to be saved – it is finished, and as far as God is concerned, you are already seated at the right hand of Jesus forever in heaven.
5. What a God, what a Savior!  Because of His sacrifice in our place, we can now do what no one in history could ever do, that is, to enter into the ultimate Holy of Holies in heaven (v.19)  When Jesus died, the curtain the Temple, symbolic of the separation between God and man,  was torn in two.  The High Priest entered the Holy of Holies and the people waited anxiously for him to return.  When Jesus entered the heavenly Temple, He did not return.  Instead, He opened the curtain and exposed the Holy of Holies so that we could follow Him.
6. V.22 says that “our bodies have been washed with pure water.”  Is this baptism?  (A) No, it is symbolic of the ceremonial cleansing with clean water by the priests.  Here it refers to the Holy Spirit’s purifying one’s life by means of the Word of God (Eph. 5:26).
7. The author exhorts us to hold on tightly to the truths we’ve uncovered here so that there is no wavering.  We can trust Jesus to keep His promise.
8. People often fall into apathy and feel that, because they are saved, they do not need to come to church, to be spiritually involved in others lives.  VV. 24,25 say just the opposite.  We are to find ways to encourage one another for love’s sake and to not neglect meeting together for encouragement and teaching –the time is short.
9. V.26 is another of those verses that people take out of context to prove that believers can lose their salvation.  Within the context of all we have studied and in the context of this verse, apostasy is the true nature of the sin, a deliberate turning away from Christ.  It seems that those who profess to be Christians for a while, identify themselves with a local church, but then deliberately and willfully turn away from Christ are beyond salvation because they have rejected the only the sacrifice that can cleanse them from sin and bring them into God’s presence.  .  These people are not saved and God has no other way of salvation to offer them.
10. The author in the closing verses of the chapter urges those believers to patiently endure all things so they will continue to do God’s will.  Someday God will reward them for their effort.  We can do so because we have the faith that assures our salvation.

Chapter 11- Great Examples of Faith

If you were challenged to give a definition of your faith, how would you answer?  We might be surprised to hear many different interpretations.  What we find here is not really a formal definition of faith; rather it is a description of what faith does for us.  It makes things hoped for as real as if we already had them, and provides unshakable evidence that the unseen, spiritual blessings of Christianity are absolutely certain and real.  It is confidence in the trustworthiness of God – that what He says is true and what He promises will come to pass (William MacDonald).

1. In your own particular definition of faith, is your faith directed toward the future, toward the present, or toward both?  Is your faith about God alone or about people as well?  Why?  Take a minute to either write out your own definition or discuss it verbally in class.

2. How does v.3 illustrate our understanding of faith?  (A) The entire universe is something beyond our comprehension but in faith, we believe that it was formed at God’s command.  What we do see of the universe, God created out of something which cannot be seen.
3. The author writes about Abel and Enoch and how their faith pleased God.  Why is it impossible to please God without faith (v.6)?  Our faith is not a one-time thing.  Without continuing faith in Him, it is impossible to walk with Him.  True faith does not simply believe that a divine God exist, but it is believing that the God of Scripture is the only real and true God.
4. How is faith demonstrated by in each of the three examples from Abraham’s life (vv.8-12, 17-19)?  (A) V.8 – By faith Abraham obeyed and went, even though he didn’t know where he was going.  By faith, Abraham was enabled  to become a Father –why?  Because he considered Him faithful who had made the promise (v.11).  V.17 – By faith Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice.  In each case, Abraham believed God in spite of the difficult circumstances.
5. In our instant gratification society, we often expect God to immediately answer our prayers, our way.  V. 13 tells us that all three of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob died without receiving what God had promised them.  Their faith was patient and endured great hardships because they believed God had something better and they looked forward to the place God had prepared for them.  V.16 gives us some insight into how much God desires our faith.  He calls Himself the “God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Ex. 3:6;Gen:28:13), personally identifying Himself with these men of faith.
6. What did the group of people in vv.17-22 have in common?  (A) These were the Patriarchs, the descendants of Abraham to whom was given the promise of the land and descendants as numerous as the stars.  Each believed although none saw the outcome of their faith.
7. What do we learn about faith from the examples of Moses in vv.23-29?  (A) First, we see the faith of his parents, believing that God would rescue their Son from certain death.  Moses rejected all the riches and trappings of the Egyptian monarchy that were his to enjoy, instead choosing by faith to follow the call of God to free His people.  He had a part in his destiny, as do we.  It is a choice.
8. In vv.29-38, what great achievements were accomplished because of faith?  What price was paid?  What was the result of this great faith (vv.39,40)?  (A) The miraculous crossing of the Red Sea; the walls of Jericho fell; Rehab the prostitute was spared; many faithful men overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them.  They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire and much more.  The price many people of faith paid was enormous.  Many were tortured, yet placed their hope in the resurrection to a better life.  Many suffered persecution we can’t begin to imagine.  All of these people received God’s approval because of their faith, but none of them received all that God had promised.  Their final reward is the same as ours and both groups are saved by Christ’s atoning work on the cross.

Chapter 12 – God’s Discipline Proves His Love

Therefore – Because we have these great examples of the value and blessing of living  by faith to encourage us, we too are encouraged to live our lives by faith, no matter our circumstances

1. How should Christians “run the race” (v.1)?  What does it mean to “throw off every weight, especially sin and hindrances?” - (v.2).  How do we “run with endurance?”  -  (v.2)   How does one “keep His eyes on Jesus?” –v.2  (A) We have living within us the Holy Spirit who gives us the strength and ability we need to live to the fullest the life that God calls us to.  The race is so difficult that the Gr. word for “agony” is derived from this race.  For the Hebrews, “throwing off every weight” referred to the weighing down of the Levitical system, keeping them in bondage.  For every believer this holds true –we all have some form of baggage that weighs down our Christian running of the race.  The sin referred to here is the sin of unbelief – refusing to turn away from the Levitical sacrifices to the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ.  Of course, this includes all sin that hinders and keep us from the perfection God calls us to.  Jesus is the object of our faith and salvation.  Everything we do should focus on bringing Him the glory He deserves.  We keep our eyes on Jesus by thinking about Him and the things He endured to give us our salvation.  He is our perfect example of faith and it is thru His Spirit that we have strength to run and finish the race.
2. In 12:5, we find the Christian view of suffering.  Why do persecution, testing, trials, sickness, pain, sorrow, and trouble come into the life of a believer?  Is it because God is angry or displeased with us?  Do they happen by chance?  How should we react to them?  (A) These verses show that these things are part of God’s educative process for His children.  Although they do not come from God, He permits them, then overcomes them for His glory, for our good, and for the blessing of others.  Nothing happens to the Christian by chance.  The tragic things in our lives are blessings and God uses them to form us into the image of Christ.
3. The subject of God’s discipline is addressed in vv.5-11.  Another version of Scripture calls this “Chastening,” which means child training or education.  It includes instruction, discipline, correction, and warning.  These are designed to grow our Christian values and drive out evil.  The discipline seen here is not punishment for wrongdoing, but training through persecution.  Proverbs 3:11,12 calls those whom God disciplines as sons, and as a proof of His love, no Son escapes discipline.  His purpose is that we may share in His holiness.  A commentator named Jowett compares God’s discipline to a fire, not one that consumes and destroys precious things, but a refining fire.  “The Refiner sits by it, and He is firmly and patiently and gently bringing holiness out of carelessness and stability out of weakness.”
4. What then is the benefit of discipline that causes pain?  (A) Spurgeon says that “all the grace I have got out of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours might almost lie on a penny.  But the good that I have received from my sorrows and pains and griefs is altogether incalculable.  What do I not owe to the hammer and the anvil, the fire and the file?”  The important truth to remember when undergoing discipline is that God loves you with a love that knows no end, that seeks no harm, that loves you enough to correct you and bring you closer to the state of holiness that He so desires for us.  If it were not for God’s love through discipline, I would not be sharing His Word with you today.  Thank You Lord!
5. We believers are the windows that unbelievers see God through.  The author exhorts us to get a firm grip on our faith and serve the living Christ, even when we are exhausted from the effort.  We need to stand strong even when our legs are shaking from the trials and we need to keep on the only path that leads to right living in Christ.  Why go through the trouble?  So that those who follow us, family, friends, strangers, unbelievers, fellow Christians will find strength as they watch how we face the many trials, so they might not stumble and fall (vv.12,13). 
6. The Christian life is not easy and we do a great injustice to people when we tell them that it is.  We must strive to “live in peace with everyone, and to seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord (v.14).”  We know that in and of ourselves we can do nothing to earn our salvation and we certainly don’t live holy lives, at least when compared with our example, Jesus.  So then, how can we be holy?  (A)  We must remember the doctrine of Sanctification, which means “set apart from sin.”  Sanctification consists of three parts.  First, the believer becomes positionally holy at the time of his conversion (when he is justified).  Because of His union with Christ, he is sanctified forever.  Christ is now our holiness, that is, as far as our standing before God is concerned.  It plays no part in our daily life, but is out assurance of eternal life in Christ.  Secondly, there is practical or progressive sanctification (1 Thess 4:3; 5:23)which is a day-to-day experience as the Holy Spirit works in us to make us into the image of Christ .  It involves our participation and willingness to seek holiness.  It depends on our degree of yieldedness to God; our degree of separation from sin; and the degree of our Christian growth.  Thirdly, there is ultimate, or perfect, sanctification, a final perfection that is ours in the glory of heaven.  We are then changed in spirit, body, and soul.  We will be like Christ, conformed to His image, faultless, blameless, and holy for eternity.
7. the next two verses seem to give us 4 things to avoid (sin  is another word for this) – they all center on the sin of apostasy (unbelief) rampant in the church there.  1) V.15 – apostasy is the failure to obtain God’s special favor (grace).  One may look like a Christian, act and talk like one, but has never come near enough to Christ because of unbelief to actually be saved.  2) Unbelief is the “root of bitterness” – a person becomes tired of Christianity and rejects Christ – he is a danger to other believers.  3) Unbelief is closely associated with immorality; and 4) apostasy is a form of godlessness.
8. The author contrasts the giving of the law on Mt Sinai, so dark and dangerous, with the glory of Mt. Zion, represented by the earthly city of Jerusalem, but is actually God’s heavenly city. 
9. Who inhabits heaven vv.23-24?  Who are God’s firstborn children in v.23?  (A) Jesus Christ is the firstborn and “the church” is made up of believers who are fellow heirs of Christ, the Body and the Bride of Christ, who have died since Pentecost.  We see God Himself, the judge of all people.  The OT saints are there, the “spirits of the redeemed made perfect.”  Jesus is there, the Mediator of the NC.  Before God could make this Covenant , the Lord Jesus had to die.  He had to seal the covenant with His own blood and give Himself a ransom for many (1 Tim.2:6).  Finally, we see the “sprinkled blood,” the blood of forgiveness that Jesus symbolically carried into heaven.
10. The last verses are full of warning to obey God (not to fall away in disbelief) because the time is coming when the very earth and the heavens will be shaken so violently that all of creation as we know it will be destroyed, including those who do not believe and reject the Lord.

Chapter 13 – Concluding Words

The last chapter of this epistle focuses on some of the essential practical ethics of Christian living.  Believers are to live out the Gospel with their lives, encourage others to do the same, and to glorify God.

1. The first is love for fellow believers – not worldly love, but the love that imitates Christ.
2. Extend that love to strangers –who knows, they may even be angels!0
3. We are not to forget those in prison who suffer because of their testimony for Christ
4. Hold marriage in high honor, just as God does.  Some considered celibacy to be holier than marriage, but Paul counters that in 1 Tim.4:3.  Be sexually pure because God will judge adulterers (includes all forms of immorality).
5. Stay away from the love of money.  It is “the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10).
6. We are to be content with all that we have because of His promise to “I will never leave you or forsake you (v.6).”  We can be confident that it is impossible for Jesus Christ to ever leave us.  He never breaks a promise.
7. We are to remember the faithful pastors in our life.  We see their duty in v.7 –they our leaders; are to teach the Word of God; they are to establish a pattern of faith for the people to follow.
8. Stay away from the false teaching of legalism.  Holiness and spiritual strength is produced by grace, not by law and all of the ceremonial trappings associated with it (v.9).
9. The Judaizers taunted the people by saying that “ they have no altar,” but we have a better altar, Jesus Christ and all the blessings found in Him.
10. On the altar of the Tabernacle under the OC, certain animals were slain and their blood was brought into the Most Holy Place by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin.  The bodies of those animals were taken outside of the Tabernacle and burned.  The animals were a type and Jesus fulfilled that type.  He was crucified outside the city walls and outside the “camp” of Jerusalem, He sanctified the people with His Own blood (vv.11,12).
11. V.13,14 –The application for the Hebrews reading this epistle was this: they should make a clean break with Judaism, turn their backs on the temple sacrifices that never forgave their sin, and reach out for the finished work of Christ as their sufficient sacrifice.  The application for is similar: The camp to day is the entire religious system that teaches salvation by works, by ritual, or by laws.  It is the modern day church system with humanly ordained priests, its materialism, and its ceremonial trappings.  It is a false Christianity, a Christianity without Christ.  We are to go to Him outside the camp and worshipping the true and faithful Lord God.  Our hearts are not here, not even in the earthly Jerusalem, but in the heavenly city prepared for us.
12. Believers are the true priests today and with Christ’s help, we are to offer up continual praise to the glory of His name!  Not just with our lips do we do this, but also by doing what is right and sharing what we have with those in need.
13. In the author’s final benediction, he asks that God would equip us with all we need for doing His will.  He prays that God, through the power of Christ in us, would produce all that is pleasing to Him.  To Him be glory and honor forever.

What have we learned through this marvelous letter?  It teaches us that we have a better covenant, a better Mediator, a better hope, better promises,  a better homeland (heaven), a better priesthood, and better possessions –better than the best of what Judaism and legalism could ever offer.  It assures us that we have eternal redemption, eternal salvation, and an eternal inheritance.  It encourages us to walk by faith and not by sight, because this is what pleases Christ.  It encourages us to bear the trials and persecutions that come our way so that we might have the better reward.  All of this we have through Christ Jesus, our Lord!