Patricia A

[b]Q1. (Hebrews 5:14) How does a person become mature in God's Word according to verse 14? What can you do to grow in maturity? Christians develop finely-tuned spiritual understanding by the discipline of constant discernment. Disciplined training and studying of the Word is important. Distinguish or discern, evaluate as you study the Word. Go deeper to try to understand ("discern") for themselves the fine points of Bible teaching.[/b]

Q5. (Hebrews 5:9) In verse 9, what does "made perfect" refer to, since it obviously isn't talking about Jesus' moral growth and perfection? (Hint: The word teleioō means "bring something to its goal or accomplishment.") It means here, "to overcome or supplant an imperfect state of things by one that is free from objection, bring to an end, bring to its goal/accomplishment

Q4. (Hebrews 5:8) In what sense did Jesus "learn obedience from what he suffered"? "[Luke] means that by a progressive process he showed by his obedience to the Father's will a continuous making of God's will his own, reaching its climax in his approach to death." How did Jesus' learning process differ from ours, since he didn't sin and suffer the consequences of his sin -- the way we usually learn? For Jesus, sufferings were an integral part of his obedience. By obeying God, suffering came as a consequence.

Q1. (Hebrews 4:14) What is so important about "holding fast to our confession." In the New Testament to confess , is "to make solemn statements of faith, to confess something in faith."4 Paul calls on Timothy to recall his own public confession as an encouragement to "take hold of the eternal life:" Therefore, we hold fast to our confession which means we hold on to our believe in eternal life with God. We need to be strong and not waver in this believe.

Q4. How does Abraham's near sacrifice of his beloved, only son Isaac help you understand better Jesus' crucifixion? It is difficult to escape the conclusion that this story of Abraham is like an acted out prophecy of the unimaginable -- the Heavenly Father who offers his only Son, the Son whom he loves, on the cross, as a Lamb that only he can provide, to accomplish what only he can accomplish -- to take away the sin of the world.

Q3. (22:14) How have you learned to trust God to provide for you? I strive to live one day at a time and use each day to serve the Lord. How has he provided for you in the past? No matter what trials have entered my life, God has been with me and seen me through them. What are you facing right now that will require God to be your Provider, your Jehovah-Jireh? I am coping with pain from a nerve disease but I know the Lord will give me strength to use this to draw closer to Him.[/ b]

[/color] Q2. Can we really know God until we can trust him with our whole lives? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? If not, why not now? If you have, what has that surrender entailed for you? How has God blessed you in return? In order to truly know God, we must totally give our lives to Him. I have turned my life over to the Lord and this is the only way to know true peace and freedom. God has promised to be faithful to those who are his children and this makes it possible to live a life of true joy no matter what trials may enter our lives.

Q1. What effect does Satan want trials to have in our life? What effect does God want them to have? The effect really depends upon how we respond to the trial. Have you ever been through a trial that strengthens and invigorates you at the end? Have any of your trials inspired others or have you been inspired by another's trial? Satan want trial to cause us to despair and blame God for our trials but God wants our trials to cause us to trust him even more and to draw closer to Him. I have been through many trials which have strengthened me. I know people whose faith grew even stronger as they suffered through illness and this is such an inspiration to me. I have been told that my perseverance when dealing with a painful nerve disease has been an inspiration to them.

[color="#800080]Q4. (Hebrews 4:12-13) 1. What do these two verses have to do with what precedes them?The WORD is the only way to true rest as it exposes who we really are and that our only hope is in Jesus Christ is Savior. It guides us to live as children of God and exposes sin, which can keep us from entering into true rest. 2. How is the Word described? What effect does the Word have on us? The Word is described as living and active and a double-edged sword, which pierces our hearts and convicts us of the Truth. It is living and active. 3. Why do we need to continually expose ourselves to the Word of God?[/color]We need to continually expose ourselves to the Word of God to remain strong and to be able to stand up against constant temptation from Satan.

Q3. (Hebrews 4:8-11) What do you think the writer of Hebrews means by this promise of "rest" for the believer? Why does the writer urge us: "Make every effort to enter that rest"? What is the difference between apostasy from Christ and the kind of falling into sin that all Christians experience from time to time? It carries a similar idea for the writer of Hebrews, who seems to be building an analogy between Israel's sojourn in the wilderness and entry into the Promised Land, and the Christian's experience. Bruce notes, "The New Testament bears witness, in a number of places, to a primitive and widespread Christian interpretation of the redemptive work of Christ in terms of a new Exodus.[/size] We must make every effort to enter that rest so that we will know the true joy of serving the Lord because we want to glorify Him and will know true rest for our spirit by doing this. Apostasy from Christ means not accepting Him as our Saviour and Lord. It is different from falling into sin and yet not denying Christ. We fall into sin and because of our faith in Christ, we ask for forgiveness and strive to not commit this sin again.

[/color]Q2. (Hebrews 3:12-14) What is the importance of faith in our relationship to Christ? How does sin trick us? How does it harden us? What is the value of Christian fellowship to keep our faith strong?

Q1. (Hebrews 3:6b) Why is the writer exhorting his readers to "hold on" to Christ? Why must we continue in our faith? According the writer of Hebrews, what happens if we don't? And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast" (3:6b). These Jewish Christians are tempted to return to their former Judaism. The writer gives them a stern warning -- you are only part of the Messiah's household if you continue firm in your faith in him. Paul says something similar: "... if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel" (Colossians 1:23). We need to continue for the same reason. We are part of God

Q4. (21:33) How does the realization that God is El-Olam, the Eternal God, affect you? How does it alter the way you live your life? Just as Abraham was struck with the realization of God's eternity, so we discover that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus and his Father are "the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 1:8, 17-18; 21:6; 22:13). Hallelujah! Nothing could bring more peace in this life on Earth which is full of trials than knowing God is faithful and eternal. The way I live every day is striving to glorify our faithful and eternal God with the joy of knowing I can spend eternity with Him.

Q4. (Hebrews 2:14-15) What was the purpose of Christ's death according to verses 14 and 15? In what sense is this mission accomplished? In what sense will it see its final completion in the future? What is the result in our lives from Christ's accomplishment? "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death -- that is, the devil -- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (2:14-15) This sentence spells out two purposes of Christ's death: (1) to destroy the devil and (2) to free from fear. Christ not only destroyed the devil's power, he also freed the conscience so that we have hope of a glorious life after death, not fear of judgment. Hallelujah! The final completion will be when we go to live in glory with the Lord forever. The result in our lives from Christ

Q3. (Hebrews 2:10) What does it mean, to bring many sons and daughters "to glory"? In what sense did Jesus become "perfect" through suffering? What are the implications for our own lives? Jesus is the Leader we follow. And our destination is glory which is the state of being in the next life and thus this is described as participation in the radiance or glory. The idea here is that the state of perfection and the culmination of God's purpose for Jesus is the heavenly, glorified, conquering Christ. But to achieve this end, he had to go through the suffering of humanity, and especially the suffering of a disgraceful execution on the cross Because of this, we can know salvation and eternal glory with God.

Q3. In what ways has God blessed Abraham in this difficult chapter 21? Given what we know about Ishmael's character (16:12; 25:18), how has Abraham been blessed that he sent him away? How has Isaac been blessed? What might have happened if Ishmael hadn't been sent away? Have you ever been rejected or sent away? Where is God in all of this? Abraham still aches from the pain of loss, but God consoles him with clear direction as well as insight into what God is doing. Abraham is to grant Sarah

Q2. (21:8-10) What motivates Sarah to demand Ishmael's expulsion from Abraham's family encampment? Is she righteous in this? Have you ever tried to force your spouse to act against his or her principles? Have you ever been forced yourself? Sarah sees Ishmael playing with her son, as if he's one of the family, and becomes enraged that he is a member of the family or Sarah sees Ishmael mocking or making fun of Isaac -- or maybe even hurting Isaac -- and becomes enraged that this son of a servant girl is bothering her son, Abraham's heir.Sarah is not righteous if she is asking Abraham to act against legal principals. I have not ever tried to force my spouse to act against his principles. I have never been forced to act against principles but it has been suggested to me.

Q2. (Hebrews 2:9) In what way did Christ "taste death for everyone"? Why is this so dependent upon God's grace? If Christ died for your blackest and most stubborn sins, what are the implications for you? By his death on the cross for our sins, he suffered death for everyone. God allows Christ's death for sin to substitute for our own is clearly "by the grace of God," not due to any merit of our own. I am saved from the penalty of all my sins because of this and truly thank God for hid blessings. My desire is to help as many others as I can know this wonderful truth.

Q1. (Hebrews 2:9) In what ways did Jesus suffer during his life and death? In what ways are we likely to suffer? Does suffering have any value? What happens when we live in such a way to avoid all suffering? Jesus suffered during his life physically, mentally and emotionally as any man committed to serving God suffers in a sinful world. We are likely to suffer the same way

Q1. (21:5-7) The name Isaac means "he laughs." What is Sarah's laughter like now compared to her laughter in 18:12-15 and Abraham's laughter in 17:17? What does this tell you about God's sense of humor? Sarah

In what way has the truth of salvation been confirmed to you? Would signs and wonders help or hinder establishing the truth of Christ's ministry today? From which portion of the Bible have you formed your opinion of the value of signs and wonders today? The gospel of salvation has been conformed to me in many ways including wonders and miracles I see in the world every day but especially through the gift of the Holy Spirit as I study God