Hebrews
The Glorious Jesus
The Glory of the Church of Christ
The Church of Christ Endures
Teaching Strategy
The focus of this lesson is how the church glorifies Christ. Of special note in this lesson is the need to remain faithful. Note: Teachers should consider breaking this lesson into two parts given the complexity and scope of the content.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Know: Understand how the church glorifies Christ.
- Feel: Recognize the need to be a part of the body that glorifies Christ.
- Do: Glorify Christ by being a faithful part of His body.
Body of the Lesson
Discussion Questions
Below are suggested questions to use during the guided discussion portion of the lesson. There are also suggested responses to questions to help students grasp the various concepts. These are provided to assist the discussion and are not considered as "right or wrong" responses.
Answers will vary but look for responses that say we, as Christians, reflect God and Christ. It is not our glory, but the glory of the Father that shines through us as we become more Christlike. In doing this, we not only grow spiritually and strengthen our faith, we also show our Lord to a lost and dying world. This is in keeping with Jesus' statement from Matthew 5:13-16.
Answers will vary. Look for responses centered around our confidence in coming before God because of Christ's sacrifice and our obedience to Christ.
We have a priest before God that allows us to approach God in obedient faith. Therefore let us continue to do so. This is a direct result of the new covenant made by God and continues into eternity. It is available to all those who come to Jesus Christ in humble obedience.
Our faith in Christ and the associated promise gives us confidence in our salvation.
The intent of this question is to have students understand the context of this often misquoted and misapplied verse. This verse is often used to encourage regular attendance for worship and Bible study. However, this is not its primary meaning or intent.
Recall that the writer is discussing the freedom we now have in Christ to live faithfully and approach God directly. The result of a lack of faithfulness is devastating to our souls since there now remains no sacrifice to remove our sins if we reject Christ. We are to approach God in a variety of ways now that we are free to do so:
- In faith without fear
- In hope without doubt
- In love without hesitation
This passage about not abandoning the assembly is set in the larger context about the freedom we now have to approach almighty God...so now that we have this great opportunity let us not abandon the assembling of ourselves together as is the habit of some.
The writer is not laying down rules about attendance, he's encouraging his readers to not miss the opportunity to approach (which was not there before) now that it's available through Christ and which some are neglecting.
Although we must make every effort to meet together and encourage one another, there is more to this passage than an exhortation to regular attendance for worship and bible study. Remember that the Jews who converted to Christianity were being pressured into returning to their former religion. To do so would be to forsake Christ and the hope of their salvation. Furthermore, it likely would weaken the faith of others and prevent some from coming to Christ in the future. The writer strongly encourages Christians to stay faithful and thus remain in hope and in doing so encourage others. This passage further communicates the idea that there needs to be an active participation in the worship of God and not simply the confirmation of one's membership in the church by occasionally attending a worship service.
Possible applications include: The Lord's day, the destruction of Jerusalem or the return of Jesus. In context, the most likely application is the return of our Lord. We must continue in our faithfulness to Christ so as to be prepared for His return.
If we've obeyed God's will for our salvation, then intentionally return to a life of sin, or continue to purposefully sin, we will have no other way to return to our Lord if we so desire. Although this passage had an immediate application to the early Christians, there is also a direct lesson for us as well. We must remain faithful so as to not put our salvation at risk. See also I John 1:5-10 and Romans 6:1-14.
The writer tells the Christians to remember their former days and how they now had a better understanding of God's will and the resulting hope of salvation. Furthermore, he encourages them to not discount the persecution they and others have endured.
In a very real way, this applies to us. We should be able to easily compare the sense of desperation we felt as we realized how lost we were and then the wonderful hope (confident assurance) of salvation we then found through Christ.
We have a hope in sharing in the glory of Christ by drawing closer to God. We hold on in faith, look forward in hope and encourage one another by the witness in good works motivated by our faith in Christ and hope of heaven when He returns.
We recognize the difficulty of remaining faithful. Therefore, each day we must renew our commitment. In doing so, we remain encouraged and encourage others to do the same. Remember, the race is about endurance, not speed (See II Timothy 4:7-8; Matthew 7:13, Hebrews 12:1-3).