Hebrews Interactive Online Bible Study
Introduction
~ 13 day walk through Hebrews ~
~ for the edification of the bride of Christ and centering on Him in these last days ~
Full Study Starts Monday, May 19th, 2014
The book of Hebrews is so rich in Christ. Christianity, the Bible and the book of Hebrews particularly, points to all of Christ and nothing of man for salvation. Although holiness/sanctification are a byproduct of genuine salvation, works of the law can never do what Christ has done for all of mankind.
The Flow of Thought below come from a wonderful brother here in Oklahoma. If you wish to contact this brother, please feel free to comment below or email me privately.
As always, you are all welcome to participate through this study. This study is not meant to be so much as a deep theological word study, which is great, but to apply the Word of God to our individual lives and deepen our walk with Christ. Feel free to comment. If you wish to learn more about what we are doing, you can learn more here. Share with everyone you know.
Book of Hebrews – Flow of Thought
by Brother Bill Wilson – Oklahoma, USA
Intro: This book is a delicate but deliberate attempt by an unnamed writer to communicate to Jews who have started to follow Jesus, but are being tempted to turn back to the laws of the Levites established under Moses, truths which will be very difficult for them to accept. Of the 12 references to the New Covenant in the whole Bible, half of them are in the book of Hebrews.
Ch. 1- God, after speaking through prophets in the past has now spoken to us in His Son, revealing that Jesus is in fact God, enthroned above the angels, seated at God the Father’s right hand.
Ch. 2- The word spoken by the Son was confirmed by those who heard with all kinds of different miracles by them so that we understand that Jesus became man, for a short time lower than the angels, so that He might be our deliverer, High Priest, and elder brother of many brethren with whom He can sympathize because of His full humanity along with His full deity revealed in Ch. 1.
Ch. 3- Moses was faithful IN all his house as a servant, but Christ was faithful as a Son OVER His own house; thus there are two different houses [see Gr. Text], with Jesus having the greater glory of the two, just as the builder has more glory than the house. Therefore we must be careful not to harden our hearts against Jesus through unbelief and disobedience against entering into His rest.
Ch. 4:1-13 – We enter God’s rest 24-7, as long as it is called “Today”. This is a continuing rest we enter on an ongoing basis, not just one day a week, in the same way that God rested from “all His works” from “the foundation of the world”.
Ch. 4:14 – 5:11 Now going back to the end of Ch. 2, we are introduced here to Jesus’ ministry as a great high priest “according to the order of Melchizedek”, a concept “hard to understand”.
Ch. 5:12 – 6:8 So go beyond the milk of the word, and avoid the curse of falling away from the first principles regarding our salvation, which in chs. 7&8 is seen to be a failure to appreciate what we have in Christ under the New Covenant because of a turning back to live under the “first” Covenant again.
Ch. 6:9-20 But the writer is confident of better things for the Hebrew believers because of their past demonstration of giving themselves to the sure hope we have in Jesus, obtained by faith and patience.
Ch. 7:1-10 Now picking up from where the writer left off in Ch.5 concerning Melchizedek we learn more about the greatness of Melchizedek who, “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually”, received tithes (so to speak) from those who administered the Law of Moses, thus showing His superiority over those Levitical priests of the Law.
Ch. 7:11 – 8:1 The “main point” of the book: The imperative need for a new and perfect priesthood, not according to the Levitical priesthood (for Jesus descended from Judah), but “according to the order of Melchizedech” that lasts forever, and the imperative need for a new and “better covenant” which gives us a sure hope, Jesus our High Priest forever, to whom we can draw near.
Ch. 8:2-5 One great difference between Jesus as a priest and the Levitical priests is that He serves the real tabernacle made in heaven, whereas they only serve a shadow of the real temple.
Ch. 8:6-13 Jesus “is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises”, which according to Jer. 31 is a “new covenant…not like the covenant I made with their fathers, and therefore “In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete.”
Ch. 9:1-14 Therefore, the first covenant had a tabernacle which, being earthly and only temporarily cleansed by blood sacrifices which can never take away sin, is now replaced by the heavenly tabernacle in which Jesus is the High Priest forever, having cleansed all things and all who come to Him by His own perfect blood.
Ch. 9:15-28 “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the New Covenant, by means of [one] death [not continuous sacrifices], for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
Ch. 10:1-18 So, the one sacrifice of the blood of the Son of God accomplished way more than the blood of a gazillion bulls and goats, viz., the eternal sanctification of all who would come into His New Covenant.
Ch. 10:19-39 The severe consequences of drawing back from living by faith in Jesus alone.
Ch. 11 The Hall of Faith: The definition of faith followed by a long list of people in the Old Testament who lived by faith. Within this list there is not a single mention of the law of Moses. But this is explained in the last two verses 39-40: “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”
Ch. 12 Therefore, with these examples of faith, but especially since Jesus endured the cross, for the joy set before Him, let us also endure and accept any of God’s chastening, for we “…have come to … the heavenly Jerusalem, … to the general assembly and church of the firstborn… to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. … See that you do not refuse Him (Jesus) who speaks.”
Ch.13:1-17 Practical out-workings of this new covenant: love brothers in Christ, entertain strangers, support the persecuted, be faithful in marriage, avoid covetousness by trusting God’s presence is always with me; faithfully follow the teachings of faithful followers of Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thus watch out for false teachers who get caught up in what foods to eat, especially remembering “We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.” I.e., for these Jewish believers, don’t get caught up in following the law as part of following Jesus. Go to Jesus outside the camp of the law, continually offering up sacrifices of praise to God through Him, and doing good wherever we can. And submissively be obedient to the leaders of the church to give them joy in their leadership duties.
Ch. 13:18-end: the writer’s personal prayer requests, benediction, praise report concerning Timothy, and final greetings.
ForgeFlower 
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