Ancient Faith/ Future Faith

Unit 1Study 1-Finding Your Center

Overview

• Book of Hebrews connects ancient spirituality with our current faith

• Jesus is the center of our faith• Overcome temptation and approach

God with confidence

Back in my day…

The Scripture

• Hebrews 1:1-4• God’s past communication was

through prophets• Currently communicates though His

Son, Jesus• Jesus is the “exact representation” of

God himself

Old Testament

• Explains God’s first covenant or promise to His chosen people, the Jews

• God select Abraham to start a community to express His spiritual ideals to the world

• God revealed His law– The conditions His people were to live by

to enjoy a proper relationship with Him– 600+ laws

Who wants to win $20?

• Follow all rules at the same time• Must continue previous rules as new ones are

added• Must maintain all rules at once for at least 15

seconds• As soon as you break 1 rule, you break them all

(Sit down, you are out of the game)

The Rules

• Stand Up• Blink• Nod your head• Flap your arms• Twist from side to side• Softly bark like a dog• Lift your right foot• Lift your left foot

Frustration

• Jewish people probably found it frustrating trying to keep God’s laws

• Laws are divine, spiritual• People were not-they were fallen

Why did Jesus need to live and die?

• God sent his Son to pay for human disobedience

• Anyone who seeks God’s forgiveness and the lordship of Jesus can have an everlasting relationship with Him

• Old Testament helps us understand why Jesus’ life and death were necessary

• Jesus is the exact representation of God• Jesus is the only One who could perfectly

fulfill God’s requirements

Oh, brother!

The Scripture

• Hebrews 2:9-11, 14-18• Jesus became human and experienced

death in our place so we could come to God

• Through His suffering, He related to us.• Because Jesus experienced a fully

human life, He was able to overcome the power of sin and help us with our struggles

Only Jesus

• Jesus is the only One who can meet God’s righteous requirements

• He is the only One who can bring salvation to humanity

• He was born a baby, grew up in a family, and became an adult-without ever sinning

• This means that He has experienced every trial, temptation, and test we confront

Why does it matter that Jesus lived as a human?

• Because Jesus experienced a human existence, He can relate directly to our situation

• He even calls us brothers and sisters• This makes it possible for us to

connect with God – who would be unreachable otherwise

Being Tempted

• Jesus can provide help during times of temptation

• Do you want help when you are tempted or to be left alone?

• If Christ is the center of our spiritual lives, it is natural to look to Him for help

• Christ overcame the very thing that separates us from God

Do you know when you are being tempted?

• When we are enticed to do something God forbids

• What tells us?• Our own conscience• Not always dependable but usually

serves as an indication that something may not be right

When You Encounter Temptation

• What do you do?• How well does it work?• What could you do to improve the

situation?

How To Handle Temptation

• Ask Jesus for:– Wisdom to avoid tempting situations– Help during moments of sinful desire

• We may feel that we can’t get rid of the temptation and just give in

• If we trust Jesus to provide a way out, He will give us satisfaction in choosing to do the right thing

Why Jesus Can Help

• Because Jesus became like us in every way and suffered when he was tempted, He was able to become “a merciful and faithful high priest”, going to God on our behalf

1 Corinthians 10:13

• No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.

• And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

• But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Does Jesus really understand?

• Because Jesus never gave in to temptation, How can he completely relate to our failures?

• Jesus is God, understanding everything. (John 1:1; 10:30)

• Jesus was tempted by Satan himself (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:13)

What Jesus Did For Us

• We often give in to temptation, not being able to withstand its full pressure

• Jesus never caved in (Hebrews 4:15)• He took the full weight of temptation and was

still able to cast it off every time• We take the brunt of our own sin, actions have

consequences• Jesus literally bore the guilt, shame, and

condemnation of all humanity’s sin when He died on the cross (Romans 8:3,4; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

God, Can we talk?

The Scripture

• Hebrews 4:14-16• We don’t have to waiver in our faith,

because Jesus is there for us• He can relate to everything we’ll ever

experience• Because Jesus overcame sin on our

behalf, we can approach God with confidence

• He will give us the help we need

Jesus Is Our Link

• Jesus provides the link between the ancient, Jewish roots of our faith and the future-minded mission of God’s kingdom– The Old Testament focuses on the Law,

illustrating the human incapability to keep it– The New Testament focuses on Christ Jesus,

emphasizing His empowering work• Because Jesus overcame sin, He provides

humanity access to God• Jesus’ standing offer of grace gives us the

confidence to approach God

Does our approach make a difference?

• The way we approach God reveals much about our relationship with Him

• No interaction – We are lost• Awkward – We don’t know him very

well• Confident – We will grow to know

Him even more

My Approach

• No Interaction• Awkward• Confident– With humor interjected

Prayer Model

• Bring your praise• Confess sins• Make inquiries• Make requests• Don’t rely on “King James” language• Don’t confuse devotion with volume

Further Study

• Look up the Old Testament references in the Book of Hebrews

• Track your findings in a notebook• 36 Quotations• 35 Allusions• 18 Summaries• 14 References

The Basic Message

• WHAT: – Jesus is the center of the Christian faith

• WHY: – Placing something or someone other than

Jesus at the center of your faith will destroy your spiritual life

• HOW: – Approach God with confidence and

commit to placing Jesus at the center of your life

Challenge

• Keep Christ at the center of your life throughout the day

• Don’t excuse yourself from religious duty when church service is over