St. Matthews Emmaus Groups
Facilitator’s Biblical Equipping: Jan-April 2004
HEBREWS 3: 1-6, 12-14
THE MEN’S GROUP BIBLICAL EQUIPPING – JANUARY 12, 2005
1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also “was faithful in all God’s house.” 3 Yet Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful over God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later. 6 Christ, however, was faithful over God’s house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope.
12 Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today”, so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.
Background
Writer: Unknown. Probably a Hebrew from the second generation of Christians. It is also unclear as to whom the letter was written to, but Hebrews generally seeks to transition these Hebrew believers from the teachings and philosophy of the old testament to those of the new testament.
Date: 65-69 A.D. The text refers to a temple still standing in Jerusalem, which was sacked in AD 70.
What’s Going On This is early in the book of Hebrews – and the writer is making the case that Jesus is superior to the Jewish icons Moses and Joshua. The verses not shown here in the middle of the passage refer to God’s unhappiness with the Israelites after releasing them from the bondage of Egypt, when they fell into sin and, as a result, wandered in the desert for 40 years. The writer is trying to convince the readers not to repeat that mistake with Jesus.
HEBREWS 3: 1-6, 12-14
THE MEN’S GROUP BIBLICAL EQUIPPING – JANUARY 12, 2005
Explore:
1. How does the writer use the metaphor of a house to demonstrate Jesus’ superiority over Moses?
2. What is the “confidence and pride that belong to hope”?
3. What is the relationship of “us” to Jesus, according to the house metaphor (v. 6 and 14)?
Connect
1. How do we keep from losing our faith, according to the passage?
2. How can we become “partners of Christ”? How can we make this happen in our group?
Prepare
Everyone writes down how they plan to apply the concepts discussed here to their daily life in the ensuing week.
NOTE: IT IS STRONGLY SUGGESTED THAT FOR THIS WEEK’S B.E. APART THAT EVERYONE BEGIN TO REACH OUT TO THOSE IN OUR SMALL GROUP AS “PARTNERS OF CHRIST”
We will discuss how that went during
Check In next week.