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HEBREWS I. BACKGROUND
1. Author
- It is not known who the author is.
Whoever he was, he knew the Old Sacrificial, Mosaical System as well
as a priest would. 2. Date
- Probably before A.D. 70, since the Jewish Christians written to herein were
seeking to go back to a form Judaism, which would have existed before
the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. No
mention of Jerusalem's fall. 3. Setting
- At this time, there was a great, patriotic and nationalistic call back to
Judaism. Since this was to Christians
with Jewish lineage, these people would
be feeling that call. All the terms
used in Hebrews were ones that Jews would understand; hence, we need to understand
in that way. II. PURPOSE OF
THE BOOK
1. Key
verses: 3:1, 6; 4:14-16;
10:19-25; 12:1-3, 12-13 2. Purpose: Many Jewish Christians were considering
going back to Judaism and leaving Christ.
The writer wants them to consider what they are leaving and what they
are going back to. No matter what
hardships are involved, the writer shows that Jesus is better in all respects to anything
Judaism had to offer. He does this by
showing the following: 1) Christ is Divine, that is, He is God; and He is superior to
Angels: Hebrews 1:1-14 2) Christ is Human; He understands:
Hebrews 2:1-18 3) Christ is superior to Moses and Joshua: Hebrews 3-4:13 4) Christ is a compassionate Priest and is of a better order of
priests: Hebrews 4:14-7:28 5) Christ is a Mediator of a Better Covenant: Hebrews 8:1-13 6) Christ has a superior Temple Ministry: Hebrews 9:1-28 7) Christ is the superior Sacrifice:
Hebrews 10:1-39 8) Therefore, since Christ is superior to all, then He is the best
choice to put our faith in. Through
our faith in Jesus, we should continue to
persevere: Hebrews 11:1-13:25 III. APPLICATIONS - LESSONS
1. Hebrews
was intended to build faith in Jesus: 1) Therefore, use the book to teach the lost! 2) Therefore, use the book to re-build weak Christians' faith! 2. God
chose how He wanted to speak to us today:
Hebrews 1:1-4 1) NOT through angels today:
Hebrews 2:2-4 2) NOT through prophets today:
Hebrews 1:1-4 3) NOT through men, even though some claim to be the mouth of God. 4) Only through His son, Jesus Christ: Hebrews 1:1-4 3. Some
people today say, "No one understands the problem that I am going
through." But what does the
Hebrew writer say? 1) "He is able to help those who are tempted": Hebrews 2:15-18 2) "He has been tempted in every way like us": Hebrews 4:14-16 3) "He ever lives to make intercession for us": Hebrews 7:25 4) Therefore, Jesus does understand our problems and He is able to
help us overcome those problems by His power. 4. God
has planned a Rest for His people.
Hebrews 3-5 1) God rested on the Seventh Day of creation: Genesis 2:2-3 2) The Israelites rested on the Sabbath Day: Exodus 20:8-11 3) We have a rest to look forward to as Christians: Hebrews 4:8-11 Revelation 14:13 HEBREWS
QUESTIONS
1. True or False: ____ 1)
We know for a fact who wrote Hebrews. ____ 2)
The writer of the Hebrew letter knew the Mosaical Sacrificial system
very well ____ 3)
The book of Hebrews was written to show how great the Law of Moses
truly was. 2. What was the Hebrew letter intended to do? 3. Name three (3) areas in which Christ is
superior to the Old Law and system: 1) 2) 3) 4. Multiple Choice: 1) The
people to whom the Hebrew letter was written were: a. Considering
killing and persecuting Christians. b. Considering
leaving Christianity and going back to Judaism. c. Considering
selling their property and giving the price of it to the church. 2) The
Hebrew letter shows: a. Jesus
is better in all respects to anything else offered. b. what
the proper way to baptize a person is. c. how
to have the Lord's Supper. 5. Christ was both _____________________ and
_______________ while He was here on earth. 6. God speaks to us today through His
___________________. 7. How can the Hebrew letter be used today? |