Hebrews: Chapters 1 & 2

SCROLL DOWN FOR PRAYER REQUESTS!!

********************************************

We kicked off our study with a review of the background of Hebrews. (This is a c&p of the notes passed out at fellowship.)

Hebrews Study

Background Information
- Author: Unknown
- Recipients: Jewish Christians
- Date: Written before 70 A.D.
- Purpose: The author is directing his encouragement and warnings to Jewish Christians, pointing them to Christ as better than establish Old Testament rites and covenants.
- Genre: letter written in sermonic style presenting a theological argument
- Key Themes:
o Jesus is superior to angels, to Moses, the Mosaic covenant, the earthly tabernacle (temple), and its priests.
o Believers are to hold on to salvation by faith in Christ.
o Believers are to encourage others in the church to persevere.

Hebrews Outline

I. Jesus is Superior to Angelic Beings (1:1 – 2:18)
II. Jesus is Superior to Mosaic Law (3:1 – 10:18): priesthood, covenant, temple, sacrifice
III. Call to Faith and Endurance (10:19 – 12:29)
IV. Concluding Exhortations and Remarks (13:1 – 25)

Since much of chapter 1 focuses on the superiority of Christ over the angels, we reviewed some basic biblical teaching about angels.

Angels
- Angels = messengers
- In the OT, angels appeared in human form to worship God, the guide/protect humans, to reveal Mosaic Law.
- Angels are created beings and are not to be worshiped.
- They are a higher order of creation than man, they are created to serve God and to worship Him (Luke 2:9-14; Hebrews 1:6-7, 14; 2:6-7; Revelation 5:11-14; 19:10; 22:9).
- Satan is a created angel and the author of sin. He incurred the judgment of God by rebelling against his Creator (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19), by taking numerous angels with him in his fall (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:1-14), and by introducing sin into the human race by his temptation of Eve (Genesis 3:1-15).

Small Group Study

In our small groups we dove into the word. You can also try these at home!
- Read the chapters. Create your own outline for the chapters. Try to get the big picture here. What are the main points? What are the supporting details?
- Review one section at a time. Read slowly. Do you understand all the words? What does it mean? (This is a good time to use the resources. Don't be afraid to look up words you're unfamiliar with. Look up those OT references!)
- Jot down thoughts/new ideas. Reflect on this. Pray for understanding. What are you learning? How is it new to you? How does it change your approach to living out your faith?

Some interesting questions that arose from our study:
- Do angels die? Are they limited in numbers?
- In 2:2, what message was declared by the angels?
- In 1:3, what is the "radiance of the glory of God"?
- In the OT quote in 2:6 - 2:8, is "man" referring to Jesus or to mankind?
- In 2:8, why do we not see everything in subjection to him?
- When Jesus was tempted, did he indeed feel the full force of that temptation? Did Jesus have a genuine choice between temptation and righteousness?

'Twas a truly fun study. If you couldn't join us this week, hope you are able to in 2 weeks!!

***************************************************
PRAYER REQUESTS

- Pray for Enery and Kai's dad who are both in Taiwan with the typhoon. Pray for safety and safety in travel.
- Tim (UCLA): Pray for safety. Pray for his studies.
- Tiffany (UCSD): Pray for her as she is searching for a fellowship.
- Job (CSU SLO): Job is getting over a cold. Pray for health.
- Derek (UCLA): Pray for warm interaction with his roommates.
- Mike (PCC): Pray for Mike's lesson in CIA. Pray for clarity in understanding and application.