Lesson 10, Part 2…Sparklers

Did you ever play with a sparkler when you were little? They are fabulous for about 15 seconds and then…poof…they fizzle out.

In the last part of Hebrews 10, the writer is encouraging the Hebrews to stay in it for the long haul. There are many mentions of holding fast, endurance, without wavering, and not forsaking in verses 23-39.

God uses repetition to say, “HEY YOU – ARE YOU GETTING THIS?” 🙂 He’s telling us not to fizzle out like a sparkler. If the Holy Spirit lit us up, then we will endure. 2 Timothy 1:12 says, “for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” If we were ignited by emotions or anything other than the Holy Spirit…then time will tell.

Things to do in Hebrews 10:23-39:

• Mark the words/phrases like holding fast, endurance, drawing back, without wavering, not forasking…I just circled them with a pencil.
• Make a list of those phrases and connect them in their context. For example, in verse 23, Without wavering is connected to our confession of hope.
• Continue marking other key words as you have done through out this study.
•  Verse 24 asks us to “stir up” or “stimulate” one another in love and good deeds. Can you think of examples of how to do this?
• Verse 25 says that some believers have fallen into the “habit” or “manner” of forsaking the assembling together. What does the rest of the verse say about why we should regularly worship with other believers?
• Verses 26-31 are pretty sobering.
  • What can someone who continues sinning willfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth expect? Knowing and believing are very different things friends.
  • Verse 28 refers to someone who is living under the Law and willfully breaks it or “sets it aside”. Look up Deut. 17:2-6…what happens to this person? Does the Law have any grace?
  • Now consider someone who has spurned the grace extended by Jesus (v. 29-30).  What does the scripture compare the rejection of Christ to? Are they worse off then the one who spurned Moses’ Law?
  • It is pretty rough falling under the inanimate Law…but not as terrfying as falling into the hands of a LIVING God.
• Verses 32-34 remind the Hebrews of what they have already suffered because of their belief in Christ. Why were they willing to endure according to verse 34?
• In verses 35-39, compare how the righteous live to those who “shrink/draws back”.

“But we are not of those who shrink back…” Hebrews 10:39