Hebrews Study Questions Ch 13 5/20

HEBREWS STUDY QUESTIONS

My Sunday School Life Group is studying Hebrews. Every Monday, I post questions that were discussed the day before in Sunday School. I invite you to ponder/think about them and jot down your thoughts.

On Wednesdays, I post some of the ideas that came up in the Life Group's discussion for you to consider and compare with your thoughts.  

These questions were discussed in my Life Group yesterday. Take time to reflect on them. I'll post thoughts from the class discussion on Wednesday.

Chapter 13

Vv 7-17

How does v15 “revise” the sacrificial system?

Relate v17 to today’s political situation.

Chapter 13

Vv 18-21

What’s the author doing in these verses?

Chapter 13

Vv 22-25

These read like an afterthought. Watta you think?

Summary

List a 3-4 “takeaways” from this study. If you can’t think of any . . . go back over your notes!

We Got This Far This Week

My class finished Hebrews yesterday.

 Next week, we'll be doing an overview of themes and sections of the book of Acts. The study of Acts will begin Sunday, June 3. Monday discussion questions and Wednesday highlights of Sunday's discussion will continue. 

There is a PDF of the questions for Acts--see below.

If you'd like a PDF of the pages of questions in table form with room for you to write answers, CLICK HERE for the link to the first 4 pages of questions on Acts. 

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My website is: www.crdowning.com

I'd appreciate your feedback as a comment on Blogger!

Expressions of Faith. Colossians Ch 1. Why?

so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

(Colossians 1:10 NIV)

Why?

Continuing the thought from v9, Paul gives four reasons to be knowledgeable:

1. To live a worthy life—the life God has called us to live.
2. To please God by living that life. 
3. To bear fruit—converts and positive reactions—by doing God's good work. 
4. To grow in knowledge—pay attention to the things of God.

Can you check off all four?

If not, ask God today to help you learn more about Him and His Word.

The next Expressions of Faith is Colossians Ch 1. Power 

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Timeless Truths. God is Great, God is Good? Got Questions Series-Part 3

Jesus: 

"In this world, you will have trouble." John 16:33b

THREE STEPPING STONES
1. Challenge the Source
"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. 

Genesis 1:31

"...sin entered the world through one may, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned..." Romans 5:12

2. Engaging the Force
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and coheirs with Christ if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in His glory." Romans 8:17

Nothing in life is better than being a child of God.

"Pain is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world." C. S. Lewis.

• God does not cause pain, he does use pain. 
• We are drawn to God or pushed away from Him through our pain.

3. Stay the Course
"...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3

Life can refine us if we submit to the refining process.

"SCENIC" TURNOUTS ON THE WAY 

TO THE TOP

An Immature View. Sinning = suffering.

This is not true, but sin can LEAD to suffering.

1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “This man didn’t sin, nor did his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him." John 9:1-3

Not Biblical. Godliness spells relief.

If we "do right," God will remove suffering.

39 These all, having had testimony given to them through their faith, didn’t receive the promise, 40 God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Hebrews 11:39-40

Not True. Good always wins.

In all things, God works.

28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Hard Truth. Some are called to suffer.

We don't know why!

10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many children to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Hebrews 2:10

Highest Level of Perspective. Holy indifference.

This should be our goal.

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 

Romans 8:18

We don't really suffer much 

in comparison to Christ's suffering.

Thoughts on Questions from Hebrews on 5/13

HEBREWS STUDY QUESTIONS

This is some of the discussion on the questions posted on Monday.

Chapter 13

Vv 7-17

Whose faith are you imitating? How? Why?

Who? 
Leaders. Preachers.

How? 
Imitate their faith. Trusting the Lord. Consider the lives of the leaders.

Why?

To follow God's instruction.

Stay away from diverse doctrine. (See verse 9, too)

There is no place for insincere faith in God's Kingdom.

V8 might be the most significant verse in this letter. What do you think?

He never changes.

He is consistent and constant.
Christ was a new concept then--He's not going away!
Because of this, Christians are encouraged by God's promises.

It goes along with today's sermon (on the power of Pentecost)

Give some examples of “strange teachings.”
Good works are the ticket to heaven.
Humans tend to be easily distracted. Then it's easy to drift away from truth.
Strange is not equal to bad all the time.

What is v10 talking about?
Jewish Law is no longer needed.
There is no need for ongoing sacrifices.

Why was Jesus crucified OUTSIDE Jerusalem’s walls?

All animal sacrifices were taken outside the Holy of Holies to be sacrificed. Jesus, as the ultimate sacrifice, was taken outside the Holy City to die. He is the believers' sin offering.

Our sins had to be cleansed outside the city

What does v13 mean?

The death of Christ was not exclusively for Hebrews. 

By going outside with Christ, believers leave the rules and regulations [The Law] behind.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

We Got This Far This Week

My class will finish Hebrews next week.
Before starting the chapter by chapter study of the book of Acts, we'll be doing an overview of themes and sections of the book. The study of the book of Acts will begin the first Sunday in June. Monday discussion questions and Wednesday highlights of Sunday's discussion will continue. 

There is a PDF of the questions for Acts--see below.

How does v15 “revise” the sacrificial system?

Relate v17 to today’s political situation.

Chapter 13

Vv 18-21

What’s the author doing in these verses?

Chapter 13

Vv 22-25

These read like an afterthought. Watta you think?

Summary

List a 3-4 “takeaways” from this study. If you can’t think of any . . . go back over your notes!

If you'd like a PDF of the pages of questions in table form with room for you to write answers, CLICK HERE for the link to the first 4 pages of questions on Acts. 

Follow me on Twitter: @CRDowningAuthor and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CRDowningAuthor

My website is: www.crdowning.com

I'd appreciate your feedback as a comment on Blogger!

Student Appreciation Day

My title for this photo is "Pig Frenzy." It's a shot of the lab at Great Oak High. It's after school. These are AP Biology students who sacrificed free time to make sure that their lab team was up-to-date on their pig dissection. It illustrates my point, probably better than anything you'll read below.

This post is a refinement of a Facebook post from May 8, 2018. That day was designated, possibly by Hallmark, as Teacher Appreciation Day.

Today is Teacher Appreciation Day.

I am in favor of the concept and the implementation. I have hundreds of comments from students of mine over time that express their appreciation of my teaching in a number of ways.

Thanks to you all!

In this post, I'm going beyond "thank you." I'm instituting

Student Appreciation Day!

If you were my student, you had many classes that were easier then my class. I suspect you had few that were more difficult in content, expectations, or process than biology, AP Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Coordinated Science, or Global Science.

I now know about the horrific family situations and catastrophic life events that many of my students faced every day. In addition, other classes my students took required copious amounts of time.

In spite of those circumstances, many, many, MANY of you made my class and its associated "make you think" assignments a priority.

A small sample of the quality of the creative tasks I assigned. In fairness, the art piece with the pig was for another class, but it's me!

The percentage of assignments turned in by the students in my classes exceeded 90% EVERY YEAR.

Those assignments demonstrated hard work and thoughtful presentation more often than not.

I'm proud to call you "my kids."

Even after graduation, a significant number of you have remained in contact. Several of you traveled a long way to come to my retirement party. The photo below shows a portion of the 100+ Great Oak High School students that hung around after school for "Story Time with Uncle Chuck" the week before I retired.

Click on the title of a video of a story at this event to see the "real deal."
When I tore my quadriceps muscle.
How the immune system works.
Why boys and girls are different.

I'm welcomed with open arms at reunions. I get an occasional card, message, post, or email. I'm humbled by those gestures.

There are more student photos below. In all honesty, I don't remember the vast majority of names of those shown. For that, I apologize.

So, to all 5000+ of my former students, know this:

I APPRECIATE YOU MORE THAN I CAN EVER EXPRESS!

Sincerely,

Coach, Mr. Downing, The Chief Chuckaroo, Dr. D

From The Photo Archives.

A "Coincidental Meeting at the Murph." That's a euphemism for "let's all go on a non-school sanctioned trip to a Padres baseball game in Jack Murphy Stadium. This was an annual event for my AP Bio classes for several years. This is spring 1982.

Final shots of my time at GOHS.

Homecoming float for the club with the name on the banner. I'll be doing a blog on that whole story before the end of June.

The Original Chuckaroos, the name they chose because
I wouldn't let them call me "Chuck."

Pig dissection gets the same reaction at Point Loma Nazarene University as at both high schools.

Photos at graduations. The middle photo is at my son, Doug's graduation from Monte Vista.
That photo and the lower right-hand corner are two of the few times I was "on the field" during a high school graduation ceremony.

Students doing group work. However, they will not all get the same grade!

First photo a Bio II-All Kazoo Marching Christmas Choir.
Click this to see another year's band perform LIVE.

These are students from APU in one of my methods classes for their teaching credential. These are part of the 176 teachers I pray for by name every weekday during the school year.  Although they're now teachers, I put them here to represent the several hundred teacher credential candidates I've been privileged to work with.
Back row: Katie, Jackie, Nick, Alex.  Front Row. Emily, Juli, Kelly, Baily.

Final Photo. Below is the cover for the science fiction book that the students listed on the back cover wrote. The school is in Ramona, California. Their teacher, Debbie Ray is one of the best. These students worked very hard, and they learned a lot. Click the photo to see the book on Amazon. The students still collect royalties through June 15, 2018.

To read the story of the book production process, click this sentence.

End of Photo Gallery Tour

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My website is: www.crdowning.com

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