Adult Teaching Resources August 21, 2016

Transcription

1 Adult Teching Resources August 21, 2016 Fith Mtters: Lessons From Hebrews (August 7-28) You re Not the First Hebrews 11:1-16 You re Not Alone Hebrews 11:29-12:2 All Shook Up Hebrews 12:14-29 Remember nd Do Hebrews 13: Subscribe to Nurturing Fith to ccess the core Bible content for this lesson. Find links nd videos relted to this lesson. 1 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016

2 All Shook Up Hebrews 12:14-29 FIT Teching Guide by Rick Jordn This dult teching outline is designed to support The Bible Lesson by Tony Crtlege, printed in Bptists Tody. You cn subscribe to either the digitl or print edition of Bptists Tody to ccess the lessons. Plese lso ensure tht ech person in your clss hs copy of Bptists Tody so they cn prepre before the lesson. Before the Lesson: Mke copies of the hndout Approching God to be distributed in the Trnsformtion Exercise. Fellowship Question (Use one of these to brek the ice, to begin some discussion nd led into the study): When big thunderstorm pproches, how do you rect? For exmple, re you one to tke shelter immeditely or one to sit on cover porch s it psses over? Which frightens you more sudden loud noise, totl drkness, or the fer of flling? Informtion The book of Hebrews ws written to the Jews. The title of the book could be trnslted, Jews. One of the primry chrcters in Jewish history ws Moses. One of the primry stories of the Jewish people ws the Exodus. Moses hd led his people out of Egyptin bondge nd to the bse of Mt. Sini. Listen to these scriptures s God speks to Moses bout their visits together on this mountin. [Hve clss member red Exodus 19:12-13 nd Exodus 19:16-19.] Of course, this is frightening scene. Loud noises, thick clouds, shking ground nd the thret of deth if you touched the edge of the mountin. Ech of these is theophny of God. [Write the word theophny on the bord.] Theophny comes from the Greek words theos (god) nd phnein (to show). A theophny is visible mnifesttion of god to person or persons. Wht would be your imge of God bsed on these demonstrtions? Our lesson writer notes: Isrel hd come to touchble mountin tht they weren t llowed to touch in order to meet God who ws present but inccessible. As we listen to the next pssge, listen to how the uthor of Hebrews describes Mount Sini. There re few differences: 2 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016

3 Informtion continued [Hve clss member red Hebrews 12:18-21.] How did the uthor of Hebrews elborte on wht we herd from Exodus 19? (the cloud sounds like torndo or hurricne; we red tht the people found it impossible to keep their nimls wy from the mountin; Moses confesses his deep fer, etc.) Wht is wrong with Sini? It is plce of fer. Humn beings come to Sini s perpetully unclen sinners nd therefore the holiness of God t Sini is holy terror. [Thoms G. Long. Hebrews. Interprettion: A Bible Commentry for Teching nd Preching. Louisville: John Knox Press p. 137.] Is the fer of God good thing or bd thing? Why? I m going to mention some businesses, some governments nd some people. See if you cn determine wht they hve in common: Lehmn Brothers, Enron, the Romn Empire, the Persin Empire, the Bbylonin Empire, Npoleon, Hitler. Wht do these hve in common? At one time, ll of these were considered too big to fil. They were invincible, unshkeble. Nevertheless, becuse of poor decisions, corrupt ledership, or overwhelming competition, ll re now gone. In their heydy, they were so influentil no one could hve imgined their demise. This imge of the ferful God Almighty within drk, loud, erthshking storm ws permnent fixture in the Jew s theologicl frmework. It ws n imge tht seemed too big to fil. The uthor of Hebrews uses this story to compre the imge of God demonstrted to these former slves with the imge of God demonstrted to persons who hve been set free though Jesus Christ. The uthor offers different imge of the sme God. The uthor of Hebrews is going to rgue tht Christins re lso pproching mountin, but it is much more plesnt venue. In the next verse, he will sy, But you hve come to Mount Zion Let s listen to three other plces where the uthor of Hebrews uses this imge of pproching God. Listen for two things in prticulr. Wht is our ttitude s we pproch God? And, wht is the chrcter of this God we re pproching? [As you sy the previous prgrph, write the words Approching God on the top of the bord, then drw line down the bord to mke two columns. Lbel the first, Our ttitude. Lbel the second, God s chrcter. As ech pssge is red, dd to the columns bsed on clss members insights.] [Hve clss member red Hebrews 4:15-16.] Wht is our ttitude s we pproch God? Wht is the chrcter of this God we re pproching? 3 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016

4 Informtion continued In the second pssge, the uthor of Hebrews pints Jesus s priest but s better priest thn ny the Jews hd known previously. [Hve clss member red Hebrews 7:24-25.] Wht is our ttitude s we pproch God? Wht is the chrcter of this God we re pproching? In the third pssge, the uthor of Hebrews pints Jesus s blood scrifice but s better scrifice thn the Jews hd known previously. [Hve clss member red Hebrews 10:19-22.] Wht is our ttitude s we pproch God? Wht is the chrcter of this God we re pproching? Our ttitude s we pproch God is not fer, or ny ttitude bsed on fer. Becuse of Jesus Christ, we cn pproch God with joy nd confidence. So fr, in Hebrews 12, God is being to be fered. Tht is the pproprite pproch t Mount Sini. But, for Mount Zion, it is nother story. Mount Zion is the hill on which the Temple ws built, but for Christins the phrse Mount Zion cme to men Heven. [Hve clss member red Hebrews 12:22-24.] The seven descriptive terms for Mount Sini re mtched by seven depictions of wht believers would find in the hevenly Mount Zion. [Printed Bible study lesson.] How does the uthor of Hebrews describe the ngels? This is prty nd we re invited to join the prty! Think of how you feel s prty dte pproches prticulrly one you relly wnt to ttend. Wht re some things you nticipte? As we pproch God, we re pproching festivl, celebrtion. The firstborn re here! (Sorry if you didn t join the fmily erlier.) Actully, if you re second-born (or lter) child, there is still plce for you! This firstborn is not referring to the literl birth order s we typiclly think of it. In severl plces, Jesus is clled the firstborn. [Hve clss member red Colossins 1:15, 18.] How is Jesus the firstborn in this pssge? (firstborn of cretion; first in the church; firstborn of the ded) [Hve clss member red Hebrews 1:5-6.] How is Jesus the firstborn in this pssge? ( born before the ngels; the first child of God) [Hve clss member red Reveltion 1:4-5.] 4 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016

5 Informtion continued How is Jesus the firstborn in this pssge? (the first to defet deth; preeminent over ll powers) Jesus is the firstborn in wys we cnnot be. We were not present before erth ws creted. We were not round before ngels were creted. We re not sitting here s people who rose from the ded. And, how mny people cn be first? Only one. So, this pssge is referring to more thn Jesus nd to more thn people who hppened to be first in their fmily s birth order. Who re these people clled the firstborn? Let s listen to nother pssge of scripture: [Hve clss member red Romns 8:14-17.] We who follow Christ re considered by God to be God s children nd co-heirs with the Firstborn. If this is true, how would you describe our pproch to God? Although our ttitude in our pproch to God is different from those who met God t Mount Sini, this is the very sme God. This is bb dddy - but this is lso God Almighty. [Hve clss member red Hebrews 12:25-29.] We re invited to come to God just s we re, with ll of our inner bggge nd outer bggge. As we pproch God, it is not without certin mount of reverent fer, but it is lso with hope. God wnts wht is best for us. Tht might men tht some of our bggge needs to be shken out nd burned to find fulfillment in God s presence. Trnsformtionl Exercise [Distribute the hndout, Approching God.] Let s consider our ttitudes s we pproch God. Here re some imges of God we might hve. As you look through these imges, put str by imges tht fit your most frequent wys of pproching God. Circle the wys you spire to pproch God. If none of these imges fit your pproch or spirtion, there is spce for other so you my write in your prticulr imge. An ngry judge A chplin An elderly mn Snt Clus An ttorney A prent (Fther/ Mother) Fire Inccessible presence Personl presence Coch Prtner Spouse Bellhop A peer Other 5 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016

6 Trnsformtionl Exercise continued [Invite clss members to shre insights.] [Close in pryer something like this: We come to you in reverence nd in joy, God. We trust tht you wnt the best for us. Shke out whtever hinders us from being the best for you. Burn wy whtever keeps us impure. We trust your wisdom nd grce. Amen.] Comments or Questions for Rick Jordn? You my send comments to the lesson pln uthor t rjordn@ cbfnc.org. Rick is lso vilble to led workshops nd conferences on Christin Eduction, with prticulr emphsis on how best to use the FIT Fith model. 6 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016

7 Digging Deeper by Tony Crtlege Digging Deeper is designed to support The Bible Lesson by Tony Crtlege, printed in Bptists Tody. Wtch for the shovel icon in the The Bible Lesson, nd then reference tht item in this Digging Deeper resource. You cn subscribe to either the digitl or print edition of Bptists Tody to ccess the lessons. Plese lso ensure tht ech person in your clss hs copy of Bptists Tody so they cn prepre before the lesson. The sound of words The writer s description of the Sini is crefully nunced to mke prticulr impression. The people re not llowed to see God, but only the frightening phenomenon of fire, smoke, shking, nd sound ssocited with God s presence. They herd the sound of words, but in thunderous voice whose words mde the herers beg tht not nother word be spoken to them (v. 19). The description is drwn from Moses recollection of the event in Deut. 4:12, s he reminded the Isrelites Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You herd the sound of words but sw no form; there ws only voice. In the Exodus ccount, we red When ll the people witnessed the thunder nd lightning, the sound of the trumpet, nd the mountin smoking, they were frid nd trembled nd stood t distnce, nd sid to Moses, You spek to us, nd we will listen; but do not let God spek to us, or we will die. The writer ppers to be suggesting tht the Isrelites cme ner to God s presence, but did not truly encounter God. Unlike Moses, they were not spiritully prepred: their trepidtion kept them from hering the divine messge. Sty bck! The wrning ginst coming in contct with the mountin is found in Exod. 19:12-13: You shll set limits for the people ll round, sying, Be creful not to go up the mountin or to touch the edge of it. Any who touch the mountin shll be put to deth. No hnd shll touch them, but they shll be stoned or shot with rrows; whether niml or humn being, they shll not live. When the trumpet sounds long blst, they my go up on the mountin. The impression is tht God s presence mde the mountin too holy to touch, so tht if person or niml should come in contct with it, they would be ffected in some wy tht would mke them dngerous to others, like person who hndled so much rdioctive mteril tht he or she becme thret to public sfety. As result, they would hve to be killed without being touched: by stoning or rrows. Obviously, this portrys hrsh picture of God s loof nd inccessible, n imge the writer of Hebrew wnts to contrst with Jesus pprochbility nd desire to bring people into divine encounter. The net effect Willim L. Lne describes the result of God s fiery theophny on Sini this wy: The cumultive effect from the wesome description of the tngible nd thretening spects of the scene is n indelible impression of the mjestic presence of the God who is unpprochble (Hebrews 9 13, vol. 47B of Word Biblicl Commentry (Grnd Rpids: Zondervn, 1991), 460). 7 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016

8 Digging Deeper continued Coming to The Greek verb trnslted s come to in v. 18 nd v. 22 ppers elsewhere in Hebrews (4:16; 7:25; 10:1, 22; 11:6), lwys in the sense of pproching God. It s one thing to come to mountin, but nother thing to pproch personl encounter with God. When the uthor of Hebrews speks of coming to God under the old covennt, he does so negtively (10:1, 12:18), but coming to God through Jesus high priestly ministry is presented in positive light (4:15-16, 7:24-25, 10:21-22, 12:22-24). City of the living God The imge of the living God is common in the Old Testment (Deut. 5:26; Josh 3:10; 1 Sm. 17:26, 36; 2 Kgs. 19:4, 16; Ps. 42:2, 84:2; Is. 37:4, 17; Jer. 10:10, 23:36; Dn. 6:20, 26; Hos. 1:10), s well s the New Testment (Mtt. 16:16, 26:63; Acts 14:15; Rom. 9:26; 2 Cor. 3:3; 6:16; 1 Tim. 3:15, 4:10; Heb. 3:12, 9:14, 10:31, 12:22; Rev. 7:2). The picture of Jeruslem s the city of God is lso found in the Old Testment, s in Ps. 87:3, nd in the fmilir words of Ps. 48:1-2: Gret is the LORD nd gretly to be prised in the city of our God. His holy mountin, beutiful in elevtion, is the joy of ll the erth, Mount Zion, in the fr north, the city of the gret King. The New Testment speks elsewhere of new Jeruslem s God s holy city (Rev. 3:12, 21:2). The meditor The writer s reference to Jesus, the meditor of new covennt, reclls his erlier rgument tht if the blood of niml scrifices hd purifying effect, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternl Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from ded works to worship the living God! For this reson he is the meditor of new covennt, so tht those who re clled my receive the promised eternl inheritnce, becuse deth hs occurred tht redeems them from the trnsgressions under the first covennt (Heb. 9:14-15). Shking t Sini Did the erth relly shke t Sini? Exodus 19:18-19 gives the impression tht God s voice cme in the midst of shking not unlike tht of volcnic eruption: Now Mount Sini ws wrpped in smoke, becuse the LORD hd descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of kiln, while the whole mountin shook violently. As the blst of the trumpet grew louder nd louder, Moses would spek nd God would nswer him in thunder. 8 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016

9 Digging Deeper continued While the Exodus ccount does not describe n ccompnying erthquke, Judges 5:4-5 nd Ps. 68:8 spek of the erth quking before the God of Sini. Other texts similrly connect the presence of God with erthqukes (Pss. 18:7, 77:18, 82:5, 114:7; Is. 6:4; Amos 9:5; Job 9:6). Mtthew s reference to coming judgment speks of the heven shking, while the ccount of Jesus crucifixion ws mrked by n erthquke, ccording to Mtt. 27: A fiery God The uthor s conclusion: for indeed our God is consuming fire is drwn from Moses chrge to the Isrelites in Deut 4:24: For the LORD your God is devouring fire, jelous God. To updte the quote, the writer hs chnged the singulr (but collective) you to the plurl our, directing it to himself nd the fellow Christins to whom he wrote. The imge of God s consuming fire is n idiom for judgment, which the Hebrews ssumed would tke plce in this life. It is not reference to the lter concept of burning hell. 9 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016

10 The Hrdest Question by Tony Crtlege The Hrdest Question is designed to support The Bible Lesson by Tony Crtlege, printed in Bptists Tody. You cn subscribe to either the digitl or print edition of Bptists Tody to ccess the lessons. Plese lso ensure tht ech person in your clss hs copy of Bptists Tody so they cn prepre before the lesson. Who re the ssembly of the firstborn in v. 23? Some hve rgued tht the firstborn re not humns, but higher rnk of ngels who were creted first. Since they re enrolled in heven, however, we should probbly think of them s humns who hve their nmes inscribed in God s book of the redeemed. Isrel ws described s God s firstborn in Exod. 4:22-23, nd Jeremih lter spoke of Ephrim, used s n idiom for Isrel, s God s firstborn (Jer. 31:19). The notion of God hving book or list contining the nmes of those who hve been judged nd vindicted is found in both the Old nd New Testments (Exod. 32:33; Ps. 69:29; Is. 4:13; Dn. 12:1; Luke 10:10; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12). The fct tht their nmes re written in the book implies tht they hve somehow stood in judgment nd been vindicted. The uthor of Hebrews hd erlier referred to Jesus s the firstborn (1:6): perhps we re to understnd the ssembly of the firstborn s those who shre in the inheritnce of Christ, not thinking lightly of their birthright s Esu did (12:16-17), but holding fst to their fith in n inheritnce to come. In this sense, God s fithful followers from both the old nd new covennts cn be counted s the first-born citizens of heven, s the New English Bible puts it. 10 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016

11 Hndout Approching God Let s consider our ttitudes s we pproch God. Here re some imges of God we might hve. As you look through these imges, put str by imges tht fit your most frequent wys of pproching God. Circle the wys you spire to pproch God. If none of these imges fit your pproch or spirtion, there is spce for other so you my write in your prticulr imge. An ngry judge A chplin An elderly mn Snt Clus An ttorney A prent (Fther/ Mother) Fire Inccessible presence Personl presence Coch Prtner Spouse Bellhop A peer Other 11 Nurturing Fith August 21, 2016