LIGHTHOUSE MINISTRY LEADER’S STUDY GUIDE Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews)
High Priests and Our High Priest
Hebrews
R2R Distinctive: Prayer
February 1, 2015
Week 14 of “Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews)” This guide is designed to provide helpful hints in preparing and leading your Lighthouse discussion. If you need any assistance or further instruction on any part of this teaching lesson, don’t hesitate to contact Chris at
[email protected]. Announcements: ! !
Be sure to focus on building relationships within your group. Seek ways to engage people in discussion and be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. If you have any newcomers to your Lighthouse, be sure to take time for introductions and to welcome them to your Lighthouse.
Contents ! ! ! ! !
Overview of this Lesson Introduction Read the Text Digging Deeper Concluding Thoughts
Overview of this Lesson The focus of this lesson is based in Hebrews 7:25, which tells us Jesus “lives to make intercession for them.” This week we will look closely at the topic of intercessory prayer, and devote a portion of our time together in prayer. Introduction 1. Looking back at your notes from this week’s sermon, was there anything that particularly caught your attention, challenged or confused you? 2. When might a person need to be represented by a lawyer? Why?
Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Spring 2015
Page 1
This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series “Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews)” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this series are available at www.ffclife.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
3. What is a task or responsibility you find especially difficult to do? How have you overcome your fear or weakness in this area? THIS WEEK’S TAKE HOME TRUTH “With a perfect and permanent high priest like Jesus, we can be confident he saves completely, fully able to bring us all the way home to God.” Read the Text (Hebrews 7:23-28) Our text this week prove to be the magnificent summary or Hebrews 7. The writer concludes his comparison between the temporary, imperfect Levitical priesthood and the eternal, perfect priesthood of Jesus Christ. In clear terms, the writer shows us what it means for us to have Jesus as our High Priest. He is “able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Read with reverence and deep appreciation this week’s text: Hebrews 7:23-28. A Perfect High Priest Interceding for Us 23
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Spring 2015 This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series “Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews)” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this series are available at www.ffclife.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Page 2
Digging Deeper In this section, feel free to develop your own questions to help guide your group’s discussion. Below are some suggestions. NOTE: This week’s lesson is based in part on Intercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth by Dutch Sheets. 4. How would you define “intercession”? The dictionary defines “intercede” as “to go or pass between; to act between parties with a view to reconcile those who differ or contend; to interpose; to mediate or make intercession; mediation.” In other words, intercession can be thought of as mediating—representing one party to another for any number of reasons. Though often thought of in a legal context, intercession is not limited to courtrooms. If you think of intercession as mediation, or representation, then you’ll see it occurs in many common situations: for example, when a mother bridges the gap between two arguing children or when a secretary gives the boss’s instructions to another department. Any work of representation, or mediation, is intercession.1 5. Can you think of informal, day-to-day situations in which intercession occurs? There are many. Perhaps one of the more common within a home is when a child goes to one parent to see if she will help intercede with the other parent. Another common form of intercession within the workplace is a supervisor who may intercede on behalf of one of his employees with a department manager. Anytime we serve as a go between, or a bridge, between two parties, we are serving in the role of an intercessor. 6. What does it mean in Hebrews 7:25 when it says Jesus “lives to make intercession” for us? Adam was supposed to represent God on the earth. Adam was the gobetween intended to mediate, or intercede, on behalf of God and His 1 Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth (Study Guide) (Ventura, CA: Regal; Gospel Light, 1996), 29–30. Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Spring 2015 This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series “Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews)” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this series are available at www.ffclife.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Page 3
creation. Unfortunately, Adam failed; so Jesus came to re-present God on Earth. He became the Intercessor, going between God and humanity. This act of intercession was not prayer. It was His work of representation whereby He bridged the gap that sin had created, enabling us to have access to the Father again. Use these Scriptures to reinforce your point: 1 Timothy 2:5–6 (ESV) 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 1 John 2:1 (ESV) My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
7. Read John 20:21. Who did God the Father send to represent Him on earth? Who does Jesus send to represent Him on earth? John 20:21 (ESV) 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Christ needs a human on the earth to represent Himself through just as the Father did. The Father’s human was Jesus; Jesus’ humans are us, the Church. He said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). 8. By what authority do we intercede on behalf of others? The concept of being sent is important and embodies the truths of which we have been speaking. A representative is a “sent” one. Sent ones have authority, as long as they represent the sender. And the importance or emphasis is not on the sent one but on the sender. The setting of conditions and the ability to carry out or enforce them is all the responsibility of the sender, not the sent one. For example, an ambassador representing one nation to another is a sent one. He has no authority of his own, but he is authorized to represent the authority of the nation sending him. Jesus was a sent one. That is why He had authority. He received it from the Father who sent Him. Forty times in John’s Gospel alone He Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Spring 2015 This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series “Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews)” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this series are available at www.ffclife.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Page 4
mentions the important fact of being sent by the Father. The result of this arrangement was that, in essence, He wasn’t doing the works, but the Father who sent Him (see John 14:10). The same is true with us. Our authority comes from being sent ones, representing Jesus. As long as we function in that capacity, we function in Christ’s authority. And, in essence, we’re not really doing the works; He is. 9. Take some time in your Lighthouse and write down those whom you are being called to intercede? Some suggestions include: !
Unsaved family members, co-workers, friends, neighbors
!
Your Lighthouse’s GO Partner
!
First Family’s GO Partners in general
!
For our church leaders–elders, deacons, lighthouse leaders
!
For the children of our church–pray that God will save them at a young age.
!
For our youth ministry–pray that God will raise-up strong, godly leaders among our young men and women.
!
For our political leaders–president, senators, congressmen, governor, state representatives, local representatives
!
For the influence of our church within our communities of Ankeny and Bondurant
!
For our future church planting efforts in Central Iowa–pray that God will call and prepare men to pastor and families to go and plant new churches in Central Iowa.
10. Now spend time as a group in prayer lifting your requests to the Father through Jesus, our High Priest and Intercessor in Heaven. If you have a smaller group (8 or less), you can probably pray together as a group. Rather than simply open the floor to prayer, ask members of your group to volunteer to pray for specific requests mentioned.
Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Spring 2015 This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series “Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews)” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this series are available at www.ffclife.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Page 5
If you have a larger group (10 or more), consider breaking your group into small prayer cells. Have women pray with women and men pray with men. Before you separate into your prayer cells, ask for volunteers willing to pray for each of your requests. Concluding Thoughts In this section, feel free to develop your own questions to help guide your group’s discussion. Below are some suggestions. 11. How can you make intercession a greater part of your prayer life? 12. Who is the one person God is placing on your heart right now to pray for this week? Will you covenant with God to intercede on his or her behalf this week? 13. Are you in special need of prayer this week? If so, consider reaching out to a member of your Lighthouse and ask for special prayer, or use a Feedback Card or send an email to
[email protected].
Sweet Hour of Prayer William W. Walford, 1772–1850 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18) No one is poor who can by prayer open the storehouse of God. — Louis Paul Lehman Through the ages, devout believers in Christ have recognized the necessity of maintaining an intimate relationship with God through His ordained channel of prayer. It has often been said that prayer is as basic to spiritual life as breathing is to our natural lives. It is not merely an occasional impulse to which we respond when we are in trouble; prayer is a way of life. Nevertheless, we need to set aside a special time for prayer. We need that daily “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” This song is thought to have been written in 1842 by William Walford, an obscure and blind lay preacher who was the owner of a small trinket shop in the little village of Coleshill, England. The first two stanzas of the hymn remind us of the blessings of prayer—relief for our troubled lives and the assurance of a God who is concerned about our every need. Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Spring 2015 This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series “Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews)” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this series are available at www.ffclife.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Page 6
The final stanza anticipates the day when we will no longer need to pray, for we’ll be at home in heaven with our Lord. There is also an interesting reference in this verse to a Mount Pisgah—the place where God instructed Moses in Deuteronomy 3:27 to go and merely view the promised land since, because of disobedience, he would never be permitted to enter it. Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, that calls me from a world of care and bids me at my Father’s throne make all my wants and wishes known! In seasons of distress and grief my soul has often found relief, and oft escaped the tempter’s snare by thy return, sweet hour of prayer. Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, thy wings shall my petition bear to Him whose truth and faithfulness engage the waiting soul to bless; and since He bids me seek His face, believe His Word and trust His grace, I’ll cast on Him my ev’ry care, and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer. Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, may I thy consolation share, till from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height I view my home and take my flight: This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise to seize the everlasting prize, and shout, while passing thru the air, “Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer.”
Osbeck, Kenneth W. Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1996.
Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Spring 2015 This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series “Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews)” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this series are available at www.ffclife.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Page 7