Discipleship Material
Hebrews
The Epistle to the Hebrews
Block Diagrammed
One of the pressing needs of any serious student of Scripture is an understanding of the syntax of a given passage. Syntax refers to the interrelationships of paragraphs, sentences, phrases, clauses, and words. The purpose of Block Diagramming is to graphically illustrate the syntax of a passage of Scripture. The Block Diagramming process involves the laying out of a passage of Scripture by indenting subordinate linguistic units while maintaining the word order of the given text or translation. This allows the student of Scripture to determine the Divinely-inspired structure of the passage, it’s key features, and main points, so as to enhance the study and understanding of God’s Word.
Ronald Jay Frasco
Scripture taken from
the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (R), (C)
Copyright The Lockman Foundation
1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977
Used by permission.
Hebrews – a basic outline
I. Doctrinal: The Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ 1:1-10:18
A. Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ’s Revelation 1:1-2
B. Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ over Angels 1:3-2:18
C. Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ’s Ministry 3:1-4:1-13
D. Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ’s Priesthood 4:14-5:10
E. Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ calls for maturity 5:11-6:20
F. Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ to Melchizedek 7:1-28
G. Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ’s Atonement 8:1-10:18
1. Mediator of a better covenant 8:1-9:17
2. Sacrifice of a better covenant 9:18-10:18
II. Practical: Lessons from Christ’s Pre-eminence 10:19-13:17
A. Drawing Near to Christ 10:19-22
B. Confessing Christ – Doctrinally and Practically 10:23-34
C. Cultivating Faith in Christ 10:35-11:40
1. Exhortation to Justification by Faith 10:35-39
2. Saving Faith – Explained and Exemplified 11:1-40
E. A Victorious Pursuit of Grace 12:1-29
F. Exhortations regarding life with others 13:1-17
III. Conclusion 13:18-25
A. Prayer request :18-19
B. Prayer for the saints :20-21
C. Closing words :22-25
I. Doctrinal: Pre-eminence of Christ & Christianity 1:1-10:18
A. The Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ’s Revelation 1:1-2
1:1 God,
after He spoke
long ago
to the fathers
in the prophets
in many portions
and in many ways,
:2 in these last days
has spoken
to us
in His Son,
whom He appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the world.
B. The Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ over Angels 1:3-2:18
:3 And He is the radiance of His glory
and the exact representation of His nature,
and upholds all things by the word of His power.
When He had made purification of sins,
He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
:4 having become as much better than the angels,
as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
:5 For to which of the angels did He ever say,
“You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”?
And again,
“I will be a Father to Him
And He shall be a Son to Me”?
:6 And
when He again brings the firstborn into the world,
He says,
“And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
:7 And of the angels He says,
“Who makes His angels winds,
And His ministers a flame of fire.”
:8 But of the Son He says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His
kingdom.
:9 You have loved righteousness and hated
lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”
:10 And,
“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation
of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
:11 They will perish, but You remain;
And they all will become old like a garment,
:12 And like a mantle You will roll them up;
Like a garment they will also be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.”
:13 But to which of the angels has He ever said,
“Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies
A footstool for Your feet”?
:14 Are they not all ministering spirits,
sent out to render service for the sake of those who will
inherit salvation?
2:1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what
we have heard,
so that we do not drift away from it.
:2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable,
and every transgression and disobedience received a just
penalty,
:3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
After it was at the first spoken through the Lord,
it was confirmed to us by those who heard,
:4 God also testifying with them,
both by signs and wonders
and by various miracles
and by gifts of the Holy Spirit
according to His own will.
:5 For He did not subject to angels the world to come,
concerning which we are speaking.
:6 But one has testified somewhere, saying,
“What is man, that You remember him?
Or the son of man, that You are concerned
about him?
:7 “You have made him for a little while lower
than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and
honor,
And have appointed him over the works of
Your hands;
:8 You have put all things in subjection
under his feet.”
For in subjecting all things to him,
He left nothing that is not subject to
him.
But now we do not yet see all things
subjected to him.
:9 But we do see Him
who was made
for a little while
lower than the angels,
namely, Jesus,
because of the suffering of death crowned with
glory and honor,
so that
by the grace of God
He might taste death for everyone.
:10 For it was fitting for Him,
for whom are all things,
and through whom are all things,
in bringing many sons to glory,
to perfect the author of their salvation
through sufferings.
:11 For
both He who sanctifies
and those who are sanctified
are all from one Father;
for which reason He is not
ashamed to call them brethren,
:12 saying,
“I will proclaim Your name to My brethren,
In the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise.”
:13 And again,
“I will put My trust in Him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.”
:14 Therefore,
since the children share in flesh and blood,
He Himself likewise also partook of the same,
that
through death
He might render powerless him who had the power of death,
that is, the devil,
:15 and might free those who
through fear of death
were subject to slavery all their lives.
:16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels,
but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.
:17 Therefore,
He had to be made like His brethren in all things,
so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest
in things pertaining to God,
to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
:18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has
suffered,
He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
C. The Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ’s Salvation 3:1-19
3:1 Therefore,
holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling,
consider Jesus,
the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;
:2 He was faithful to Him who appointed Him,
as Moses also was in all His house.
:3 For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses,
by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than
the house.
:4 For every house is built by someone,
but the builder of all things is God.
:5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant,
for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later;
:6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are,
if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm
until the end.
:7 Therefore,
just as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today if you hear His voice,
:8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
:9 Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me,
And saw My works for forty years.
:10 Therefore I was angry with this generation,
And said,
‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;
:11 As I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”
:12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil,
unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
:13 But encourage one another day after day,
as long as it is still called “Today,”
so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
:14 For we have become partakers of Christ,
if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,
:15 while it is said,
“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts,
as when they provoked Me.”
:16 For who provoked Him when they had heard?
Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by
Moses?
:17 And with whom was He angry for forty years?
Was it not with those who sinned,
whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
:18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His
rest,
but to those who were disobedient?
:19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of
unbelief.
4:1 Therefore, let us fear if,
while a promise remains of entering His rest,
any one of you may seem to have come short of it.
:2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us,
just as they also;
but the word they heard did not profit them,
because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
:3 For we who have believed enter that rest,
just as He has said,
“As I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest,”
although His works were finished from the foundation of the
world.
:4 For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day:
“And God rested on the seventh day from all His
works”;
:5 and again in this passage,
“They shall not enter My rest.”
:6 Therefore,
since it remains for some to enter it,
and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to
enter because of disobedience,
:7 He again fixes a certain day, “Today,”
saying
through David
after so long a time
just as has been said before,
“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”
:8 For if Joshua had given them rest,
He would not have spoken of another day after that.
:9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
:10 For the one who has entered His rest
has himself also rested from his works,
as God did from His.
:11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest,
so that no one will fall,
through following the same example of disobedience.
:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-
edged sword,
and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit,
of both joints and marrow,
and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight,
but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we
have to do.
D. Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ’s Priesthood 4:14-5:10
:14 Therefore,
since we have a great high priest
who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God,
let us hold fast our confession.
:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses,
but One who has been tempted in all things as we are,
yet without sin.
:16 Therefore let us draw near
with confidence
to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need.
5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf
of men in things pertaining to God,
in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;
:2 he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided,
since he himself also is beset with weakness;
:3 and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins,
as for the people,
so also for himself.
:4 And no one takes the honor to himself,
but receives it when he is called by God,
even as Aaron was.
:5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high
priest,
but He who said to Him,
“You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”;
:6 just as He says also in another passage,
“You are a priest forever According to the order of
Melchizedek.”
:7 In the days of His flesh,
He offered up both prayers and supplications
with loud crying and tears
to the One able to save Him from death,
and He was heard because of His piety.
:8 Although He was a Son,
He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
:9 And
having been made perfect,
He became
to all those who obey Him
the source of eternal salvation,
:10 being designated by God as a high priest
according to the order of Melchizedek.
E. Interjection Regarding Immaturity 5:11-6:20
:11 Concerning him we have much to say,
and it is hard to explain,
since you have become dull of hearing.
:12 For
though by this time you ought to be teachers,
you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary
principles of the oracles of God,
and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to
the word of righteousness,
for he is an infant.
:14 But solid food is for the mature,
who
because of practice
have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
6:1 Therefore
leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ,
let us press on to maturity,
not laying again a foundation
of repentance from dead works
and of faith toward God,
:2 of instruction about washings and laying on of hands,
and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
:3 And this we will do, if God permits.
:4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened
and have tasted of the heavenly gift
and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
:5 and have tasted the good word of God
and the powers of the age to come,
:6 and then have fallen away,
it is impossible to renew them again to repentance,
since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God
and put Him to open shame.
:7 For ground that drinks the rain
which often falls on it
and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose
sake it is also tilled,
receives a blessing from God;
:8 but if it yields thorns and thistles,
it is worthless and close to being cursed,
and it ends up being burned.
:9 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you,
and things that accompany salvation,
though we are speaking in this way.
:10 For God is not unjust so as to forget
your work
and the love which you have shown toward His name,
in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.
:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence
so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
:12 so that you will not be sluggish,
but imitators of those who
through faith and patience
inherit the promises.
:13 For when God made the promise to Abraham,
since He could swear by no one greater,
He swore by Himself,
:14 saying,
“I will surely bless you
and I will surely multiply you.”
:15 And so,
having patiently waited,
he obtained the promise.
:16 For men swear by one greater than themselves,
and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of
every dispute.
:17 In the same way God,
desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the
unchangeableness of His purpose,
interposed with an oath,
:18 so that by two unchangeable things
in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement
to take hold of the hope set before us.
:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
a hope both sure and steadfast
and one which enters within the veil,
:20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us,
having become a high priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
F. Priesthoods of Christ and Melchizedek compared 7:1-28
7:1 For this Melchizedek,
king of Salem,
priest of the Most High God,
who met Abraham
as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings
and blessed him,
:2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils,
was first of all,
by the translation of his name,
king of righteousness,
and then also king of Salem,
which is king of peace.
:3 Without father,
without mother,
without genealogy,
having neither beginning of days nor end of life,
but made like the Son of God,
he remains a priest perpetually.
:4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham,
the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.
:5 And those indeed
of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office
have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people,
that is, from their brethren,
although these are descended from Abraham.
:6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth
from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.
:7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.
:8 In this case mortal men receive tithes,
but in that case one receives them,
of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.
:9 And, so to speak,
through Abraham
even Levi,
who received tithes,
paid tithes,
:10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met
him.
:11 Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood
(for on the basis of it the people received the Law),
what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the
order of Melchizedek,
and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?
:12 For when the priesthood is changed,
of necessity there takes place a change of law also.
:13 For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs
to another tribe,
from which no one has officiated at the altar.
:14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah,
a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning
priests.
:15 And this is clearer still,
if another priest arises
according to the likeness of Melchizedek,
:16 who has become such
not on the basis of a law of physical requirement,
but according to the power of an indestructible life.
:17 For it is attested of Him,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
:18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a
former commandment
because of its weakness and uselessness
:19 (for the Law made nothing perfect),
and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better
hope,
through which we draw near to God.
:20 And inasmuch as it was not without an oath
:21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath,
but He with an oath through the One who said to Him,
“The Lord has sworn And will not change His
mind, ‘You are a priest forever’”);
:22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a
better covenant.
:23 The former priests,
on the one hand,
existed in greater numbers
because they were prevented by death from continuing,
:24 but Jesus,
on the other hand,
because He continues forever,
holds His priesthood permanently.
:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God
through Him,
since He always lives to make intercession for them.
:26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest,
holy,
innocent,
undefiled,
separated from sinners
and exalted above the heavens;
:27 who does not need daily,
like those high priests,
to offer up sacrifices,
first for His own sins
and then for the sins of the people,
because this He did once for all when He offered up
Himself.
:28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak,
but the word of the oath,
which came after the Law,
appoints a Son,
made perfect forever.
H. Pre-eminence of Jesus Christ’s Atonement 8:1-10:18
1. Mediator of a better covenant 8:1-9:17
8:1 Now the main point in what has been said is this:
we have such a high priest,
who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in the heavens,
:2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle,
which the Lord pitched, not man.
:3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and
sacrifices;
so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to
offer.
:4 Now if He were on earth,
He would not be a priest at all,
since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law;
:5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things,
just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to
erect the tabernacle;
for, “See,” He says,
“that you make all things according to the pattern
which was shown you on the mountain.”
:6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry,
by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant,
which has been enacted on better promises.
:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless,
there would have been no occasion sought for a second.
:8 For finding fault with them, He says,
“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant With the house of
Israel and with the house of Judah;
:9 Not like the covenant which I made with their
fathers
On the day when I took them by the hand
To lead them out of the land of Egypt;
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care for them, says the Lord.
:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
:11 And they shall not teach everyone his
fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying,
‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
:12 For I will be merciful to their
iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no
more.”
:13 When He said,
“A new covenant,”
He has made the first obsolete.
But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to
disappear.
9:1 Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and
the earthly sanctuary.
:2 For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one,
in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread;
this is called the holy place.
:3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle
which is called the Holy of Holies,
:4 having a golden altar of incense
and the ark of the covenant
covered on all sides with gold,
in which was a golden jar holding the manna,
and Aaron’s rod which budded,
and the tables of the covenant;
:5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the
mercy seat;
but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
:6 Now
when these things have been so prepared,
the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle
performing the divine worship,
:7 but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year,
not without taking blood,
which he offers for himself
and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.
:8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this,
that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the
outer tabernacle is still standing,
:9 which is a symbol for the present time.
Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered
which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
:10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings,
regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
:11 But
when Christ appeared
as a high priest of the good things to come,
He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle,
not made with hands,
that is to say, not of this creation;
:12 and not through the blood of goats and calves,
but through His own blood,
He entered the holy place
once for all,
having obtained eternal redemption.
:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls
and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been
defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,
:14 how much more will the blood of Christ,
who
through the eternal Spirit
offered Himself without blemish to God,
cleanse your conscience
from dead works
to serve the living God?
:15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant,
so that,
since a death has taken place
for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant,
those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
:16 For where a covenant is,
there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.
:17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead,
for it is never in force while the one who made it
lives.
2. Sacrifice of a better covenant 9:18-10:18
:18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.
:19 For
when every commandment had been spoken by Moses
to all the people
according to the Law,
he took the blood of the calves and the goats,
with water and scarlet wool and hyssop,
and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
:20 saying,
“This is the blood of the covenant which God
commanded you.”
:21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the
vessels of the ministry with the blood.
:22 And
according to the Law,
one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood,
and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
:23 Therefore it was necessary
for the copies of the things in the heavens
to be cleansed with these,
but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
:24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands,
a mere copy of the true one,
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
:25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often,
as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood
that is not his own.
:26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the
foundation of the world;
but now
once
at the consummation of the ages
He has been manifested
to put away sin
by the sacrifice of Himself.
:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this
comes judgment,
:28 so Christ also,
having been offered once to bear the sins of many,
will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin,
to those who eagerly await Him.
10:1 For the Law,
since it has only a shadow of the good things to come
and not the very form of things,
can never,
by the same sacrifices
which they offer continually year by year,
make perfect those who draw near.
:2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered,
because the worshipers,
having once been cleansed,
would no longer have had consciousness of sins?
:3 But
in those sacrifices
there is a reminder of sins year by year.
:4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away
sins.
:5 Therefore,
when He comes into the world,
He says,
“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But a body You have prepared for Me;
:6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have
taken no pleasure.
:7 “Then I said,
‘Behold, I have come
(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’”
:8 After saying above,
“Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings
and sacrifices for sin You have not desired,
nor have You taken pleasure in them”
(which are offered according to the Law),
:9 then He said,
“Behold, I have come to do Your will.”
He takes away the first in order to establish the second.
:10 By this
will we have been sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
:11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering
time after time
the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins;
:12 but He,
having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time,
sat down at the right hand of God,
:13 waiting
from that time onward
until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.
:14 For
by one offering
He has perfected
for all time
those who are sanctified.
:15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us;
for after saying,
:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart,
And on their mind I will write them,”
He then says,
:17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will
remember no more.”
:18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things,
there is no longer any offering for sin.
II. Practical: Lessons from the Pre-eminence of Christ
10:19-13:17
A. Approaching Christ 10:19-22
:19 Therefore, brethren,
since we have confidence to enter the holy place
by the blood of Jesus,
:20 by a new and living way
which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His
flesh,
:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
:22 let us draw near
with a sincere heart
in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed with pure water.
B. Confessing Christ – Doctrinally and Practically 10:23-34
:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
for He who promised is faithful;
:24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good
deeds,
:25 not forsaking our own assembling together,
as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another;
and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
:26 For if we go on sinning willfully
after receiving the knowledge of the truth,
there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
:27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment
and the fury of a fire which will consume the
adversaries.
:28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses
dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
:29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who
has trampled under foot the Son of God,
and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant
by which he was sanctified,
and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
:30 For we know Him who said,
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.”
And again,
“The Lord will judge His people.”
:31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
:32 But remember the former days,
when,
after being enlightened,
you endured a great conflict of sufferings,
:33 partly by being made a public spectacle
through reproaches and tribulations,
and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so
treated.
:34 For you showed sympathy to the prisoners
and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property,
knowing that you have for yourselves a better
possession and a lasting one.
C. Cultivating a Confident Faith 10:35-39
1. Exhortation to Justification by Faith :35-39
:35 Therefore,
do not throw away your confidence,
which has a great reward.
:36 For you have need of endurance,
so that
when you have done the will of God,
you may receive what was promised.
:37 For yet
in a very little while,
He who is coming will come,
and will not delay.
:38 But My righteous one shall live by faith;
And if he shrinks back,
My soul has no pleasure in him.
:39 But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction,
but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
2. Saving Faith – Explained and Exemplified 11:1-40
First Explanation – Faith Defined
11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
:2 For by it [faith] the men of old gained approval.
First Set of Examples – Creation to Enoch
:3 By faith
we understand that the worlds were prepared
by the word of God,
so that what is seen was not made out of things which are
visible.
:4 By faith
Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain,
through which he obtained the testimony that he was
righteous,
God testifying about his gifts,
and through faith,
though he is dead,
he still speaks.
:5 By faith
Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death;
and he was not found because God took him up;
for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he
was pleasing to God.
Second Explanation – Faith Indispensable
:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He is
and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Second Set of Examples – Noah to Sarah
:7 By faith
Noah,
being warned by God about things not yet seen,
in reverence
prepared an ark for the salvation of his household,
by which he condemned the world,
and became an heir of the righteousness which is according
to faith.
:8 By faith
Abraham,
when he was called,
obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an
inheritance;
and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
:9 By faith
he lived as an alien in the land of promise,
as in a foreign land,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob,
fellow heirs of the same promise;
:10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations,
whose architect and builder is God.
:11 By faith
even Sarah herself received ability to conceive,
even beyond the proper time of life,
since she considered Him faithful who had promised.
:12 Therefore there was born even of one man,
and him as good as dead at that,
as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number,
and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
Third Explanation – Faith an Open-Handed Trust
:13 All these died in faith,
without receiving the promises,
but having seen them
and having welcomed them from a distance,
and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the
earth.
:14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are
seeking a country of their own.
:15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from
which they went out,
they would have had opportunity to return.
:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God;
for He has prepared a city for them.
Third Set of Examples – Abraham to Rahab
:17 By faith
Abraham,
when he was tested,
offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was offering up his only
begotten son;
:18 it was he to whom it was said,
“In Isaac your descendants shall be called.”
:19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the
dead,
from which he also received him back as a type.
:20 By faith
Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.
:21 By faith
Jacob,
as he was dying,
blessed each of the sons of Joseph,
and worshiped,
leaning on the top of his staff.
:22 By faith
Joseph,
when he was dying,
made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel,
and gave orders concerning his bones.
:23 By faith
Moses,
when he was born,
was hidden for three months by his parents,
because they saw he was a beautiful child;
and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
:24 By faith
Moses,
when he had grown up,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
:25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of
God
than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
:26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than
the treasures of Egypt;
for he was looking to the reward.
:27 By faith
he left Egypt,
not fearing the wrath of the king;
for he endured,
as seeing Him who is unseen.
:28 By faith
he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood,
so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch
them.
:29 By faith
they passed through the Red Sea
as though they were passing through dry land;
and the Egyptians,
when they attempted it,
were drowned.
:30 By faith
the walls of Jericho fell down
after they had been encircled for seven days.
:31 By faith
Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were
disobedient,
after she had welcomed the spies in peace.
Fourth set of Examples – Gideon to the Prophets
:32 And what more shall I say?
For time will fail me if I tell of
Gideon,
Barak,
Samson,
Jephthah,
of David
and Samuel
and the prophets,
:33 who
by faith
conquered kingdoms,
performed acts of righteousness,
obtained promises,
shut the mouths of lions,
:34 quenched the power of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword,
from weakness were made strong,
became mighty in war,
put foreign armies to flight.
:35 Women received back their dead by resurrection;
and others were tortured,
not accepting their release,
so that they might obtain a better resurrection;
:36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings,
yes, also chains and imprisonment.
:37 They were stoned,
they were sawn in two,
they were tempted,
they were put to death with the sword;
they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins,
being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated
:38 (men of whom the world was not worthy),
wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in
the ground.
Fourth Explanation – Faith is Accompanied
:39 And all these,
having gained approval through their faith,
did not receive what was promised,
:40 because God had provided something better for us,
so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
E. Making Sound Application of Faith 12:1-29
12:1 Therefore,
since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance
and the sin which so easily entangles us,
and let us run
with endurance
the race that is set before us,
:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of faith,
who
for the joy set before Him
endured the cross,
despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
:3 For consider Him
who has endured such hostility by sinners against
Himself,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
:4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your
striving against sin;
:5 and you have forgotten the exhortation
which is addressed to you as sons,
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the
Lord,
Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
:6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
:7 It is for discipline that you endure;
God deals with you as with sons;
for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
:8 But if you are without discipline,
of which all have become partakers,
then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
:9 Furthermore,
we had earthly fathers to discipline us,
and we respected them;
shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
:10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them,
but He disciplines us for our good,
so that we may share His holiness.
:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful;
yet to those who have been trained by it,
afterwards
it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
:12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak
and the knees that are feeble,
:13 and make straight paths for your feet,
so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint,
but rather be healed.
:14 Pursue peace with all men,
and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
:15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God;
that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble,
and by it many be defiled;
:16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau,
who sold his own birthright for a single meal.
:17 For you know that even afterwards,
when he desired to inherit the blessing,
he was rejected,
for he found no place for repentance,
though he sought for it with tears.
:18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched
and to a blazing fire,
and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,
:19 and to the blast of a trumpet
and the sound of words
which sound was such that those who heard begged that no
further word be spoken to them.
:20 For they could not bear the command,
“If even a beast touches the mountain,
it will be stoned.”
:21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said,
“I am full of fear and trembling.”
:22 But you have come to Mount Zion
and to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to myriads of angels,
:23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn
who are enrolled in heaven,
and to God,
the Judge of all,
and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
:24 and to Jesus,
the mediator of a new covenant,
and to the sprinkled blood,
which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
:25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking.
For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned
them on earth,
much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns
from heaven.
:26 And His voice shook the earth then,
but now He has promised, saying,
“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth,
but also the heaven.”
:27 This expression,
“Yet once more,”
denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken,
as of created things,
so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
:28 Therefore,
since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken,
let us show gratitude,
by which we may offer to God an acceptable service
with reverence and awe;
:29 for our God is a consuming fire.
F. Exhortations regarding life with others 13:1-17
13:1 Let love of the brethren continue.
:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for
by this
some have entertained angels without knowing it.
:3 Remember the prisoners,
as though in prison with them,
and those who are ill-treated,
since you yourselves also are in the body.
:4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all,
and the marriage bed is to be undefiled;
for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
:5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money,
being content with what you have;
for He Himself has said,
“I will never desert you,
nor will I ever forsake you,”
:6 so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”
:7 Remember those who led you,
who spoke the word of God to you;
and
considering the result of their conduct,
imitate their faith.
:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
:9 Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings;
for it is good for the heart to be strengthened
by grace,
not by foods,
through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.
:10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no
right to eat.
:11 For the bodies of those animals
whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest
as an offering for sin,
are burned outside the camp.
:12 Therefore Jesus also,
that He might sanctify the people through His own blood,
suffered outside the gate.
:13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp,
bearing His reproach.
:14 For here we do not have a lasting city,
but we are seeking the city which is to come.
:15 Through Him then,
let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
:16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing,
for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
:17 Obey your leaders
and submit to them,
for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an
account.
Let them do this with joy and not with grief,
for this would be unprofitable for you.
III. Conclusion 13:18-25
A. Prayer request
:18 Pray for us,
for we are sure that we have a good conscience,
desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.
:19 And I urge you all the more to do this,
so that I may be restored to you the sooner.
B. Prayer for the saints
:20 Now the God of peace,
who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep
through the blood of the eternal covenant,
even Jesus our Lord,
:21 equip you in every good thing to do His will,
working in us that which is pleasing in His sight,
through Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
C. Closing words
:22 But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation,
for I have written to you briefly.
:23 Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released,
with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you.
:24 Greet all of your leaders and all the saints.
Those from Italy greet you.
:25 Grace be with you all.
- The word document: Hebrews
