[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

I often used obsess with things; this was particularly true when I was a child. I was obsessed with Ancient Egypt, then the Tudors, then Lord knows what It's easy for something to become a "fad" and for it to quickly disappear, especially when it's not fashionable to like that thing anymore or people are making fun of you for it.

God never used to talk to us directly: it was always through a prophet or an angel. Whereas now God Himself has walked among us, taught us, loved us and died for us, through the sending of the Son, Jesus Christ What makes Jesus different is that He is the Son. He is not some randomer that God plucks off the street. (OK, maybe that's a little harsh on the prophets! ) This is God Himself communicating directly with us.

The difference between Jesus and the angels is that the angels are not part of God. They are not one with Him, they are not part of the Trinity. They are created by Him, to glorify Him through service... but they are not intrinsically and intimately linked with Him

It doesn't mean all of the OT is irrelevant. It clearly sets us up for and prepares us for the coming of the Messiah. It's just the bits about shellfish and Jewish law/custom that have no meaning for Christians today, other than understanding our history

We are being called to pay more attention to our faith and to what we have been taught, so that it doesn't not slide away from us and that we do not lose our way. This would have been important then because of the persecution of early Christians and the uncertain days of the early Church.

I think some of my voices are intent on filling me with doubt and keeping me from God, so remaining strong and keeping reading is very important. Hence why I love you, GEG, for this study

[greeneyedgirl]

My thoughts on this section:

It's amazing that God chose to communicate with us Himself. Think of other major world religions, doesn't really happen all that often Also if you read 1 Peter 1:10-12 it shows that the angels don't even have as much exposure to the gospel as we have had through Jesus, we are SO lucky to be living post Jesus and his revelations.

When I drift I am VERY bad at clinging on to the word, if I'm drifting the last thing I want to do is read my bible etc. But I guess that's where getting into good habits of reading the bible and praying would be really useful because if it's a routine it's much harder to shake.

PLEASE NOTE: NEW BIBLE STUDY GOING UP TOMORROW

[Cirsium]

A few thoughts to show willing (still no internet at home, but I'm in work)

(Original post by greeneyedgirl)

Bible Study 2 - Hebrews

Read Hebrews 1:1-4

How has the method with which God reveals Himself changed from the past to these last days?

What makes Jesus so special? (verse 2-4)

Before God spoke to us only through the prophets. Now He has come in the incarnation of Our Lord to speak to us directly.

The Son was part of the creation and is the "exact representation" of the Father - as opposed to the prophets, who were solely human, and therefore fallible / may have misrepresented / misreported God's Word.

Read Hebrews 1:5-14
Angel means messenger, can be used to refer to angelic beings or human servants of God.

What are the differences between Jesus and the angels?

Jesus is the Son, not just a 'friend' of God
Jesus is worshipped by all
Jesus is placed above everybody else at God's Right Hand.

What are we being called to do?

We are called to be saved? We are being called to hear the Word of God and respond accordingly... And pay attention! So I guess study hard () and listen to sermons and read and pray.

It stops us from forgetting about God and drifting away.

What might cause you to drift away? How can you stop this from happening? (Think of actual things to put into action).

Feeling like faith is irrelevant. Feeling like I'm not good enough...

* Read!! (For ages and ages I've read the Bible every day, even before I was a Christian. Recently I've been really bad at falling out of a regular pattern. Need to address!)
* Praying, even when I don't feel like it.
* Setting up some kind of small group. I'm kind of hopeful now me and a good Christian friend are going to move in together that we can do something like this.

[greeneyedgirl]

The Greatest Man - Hebrews 2:5-18

Imagine a historical event you know where the peasants complained that the King/Queen/Ruler knew nothing of their sorrows (maybe it's the French Revolution with Marie Antoinette and the bread riots, maybe it's one of the English peasant revolts, or maybe even it's nowadays with working class people claiming that those in charge don't see how hard times are for them). How do you think it feels being controlled by someone so impossible to relate to, so distant from who you are?

Now, if you'd never heard of Jesus before and had only read the previous bible study's passage it's possible you think that He was so far above you that He was impossible to relate to...luckily Hebrews goes on to show that actually He is like us.

Read Hebrews 2:5-9

How does Jesus compare to the angels here? How does this give us a more rounded picture of Him?

Which truth about Jesus do we not see yet? (verse 8-9)

However what does Jesus have now? Why does He have this?

The psalm quoted in this part of Hebrews is Psalm 8. If you have a bit of extra time read it and think of it how those pre Jesus used to think of it. They used to see it as describing humanity as being below God but above creation. How does this help us understand Jesus?

Read Hebrews 2:10-18

The word in verse 10 used to describe Jesus (author/founder/pioneer of our salvation) can also be translated as champion or hero. How does this help us understand the purpose of Jesus' death? (verses 14-15)

Why was it important for Jesus to become human? (There are multiple reasons in verses 10-18 so list a few)

What was the jobs of high priests? When Jesus is referred to as one (verse 17) how does this help our knowledge of Him?

Verse 17's phrase "that he might make atonement for the sins of the people" can also be translated "that he might turn aside God's wrath, taking away the sins of the people", how does this help us understand what He's done for us?

How can these verses comfort us in times of trouble?

How can the fact we are "brother"s (and sisters!) (verse 17) of Christ bring us to closer relationship with Him?

How can this passage help us when we are feeling down or worthless?

Prayer

Spend some time praising God for Jesus and how amazing He is. Thank God that we know He can fully empathise with our suffering and distresses of this world because He too has felt them. But also pray for those who have not heard or have not accepted Jesus to be more than just a man, pray they will come to a clearer understanding of how He is fully man and fully God.

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

Here we are given a more rounded picture of Jesus because this part of the letter to the Hebrews tells us that He was, at one point, lower than the angels (when He suffered the indignity of crucifixion). We cannot see yet that everything in this world and others is under Jesus' command, though maybe we will come to understand that in time. We are told that Jesus is "now crowned with glory and splendour" (CTS New Catholic translation) because He suffered for our sins.

Psalm 8 is an interesting read because it shows how we were originally given dominion over the Earth but, of course, mucked it all up. Psalm 8 celebrates the fact that God would consider us worthy of such a privileged position. This psalm helps us to understand how Jesus has power but over everything, even the angels!

The alternate use of the word "champion" or "hero" rightly puts Jesus in place as a type of saviour. This is important because without Him, we would still be lost to Satan through death. It is important that Jesus was human because it means He understands us and our suffering and can properly empathise (rather than just sympathise) with the woes of being human. High priests were the leaders of the Jewish faith and were responsible for teaching and practising Scripture and being a role model to others. The reference to Jesus as a high priest shows us that He also came as a teacher, as is evident through His ministry.

The alternate translation of verse 17 shows that God has forgiven and forgotten because Jesus has washed away our sins. This can be a comfort to us because it is easy to think and feel of God that He is an angry entity. The reference to brothers (and sisters!) shows us how close Jesus is to us and how He loves us like a brother. Therefore we can turn to Him for any problem we have.

Sorry if these thoughts are a bit random. Lack of sleep means I'm not in my theological/Biblical zone

[greeneyedgirl]

I really like this passage, it's something I quite often forget that as Jesus is fully human He literally will have gone through all the temptations we have gone through. He will have grown up with people stealing/blaspheming/not loving God/committing adultery and He did not sin once. Obviously we're not as strong as Jesus but it's such a joy that He knows exactly what we're going through.

I also think the thought of Him being the greatest man is pretty cool, because He did what we were original meant to do, rule and take care of the world. He is the ultimate human - He heals, He has no bad qualities, He loves unconditionally and He wants us to be saved...it's just amazing.

The alternate Greek translations are pretty cool. Jesus is totally the champion of our salvation, He fought death and beat it! Also the image of Him turning aside God's wrath makes me think of someone distracting a gun man so they got shot instead of the other person...He takes the punishment we deserve.

I also love the fact we're brothers/sisters with Him, it's such an intimate relationship

(Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd)
Sorry if these thoughts are a bit random. Lack of sleep means I'm not in my theological/Biblical zone

Shan I always love reading your thoughts, they always make sense to me and cheer me up!



New study up tomorrow!

[greeneyedgirl]

Sorry, might delay putting up study till tomorrow, major headache.

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

(Original post by greeneyedgirl)
Sorry, might delay putting up study till tomorrow, major headache.

Feel better soon hun, and thanks for your nice comments about my Bible study ramblings

[greeneyedgirl]

(Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd)
Feel better soon hun, and thanks for your nice comments about my Bible study ramblings

As head still not fully 100% I'll be putting it up tomorrow, got all the prep done though so maybe if head eases I'll put it up just pre bed.

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

(Original post by greeneyedgirl)
As head still not fully 100% I'll be putting it up tomorrow, got all the prep done though so maybe if head eases I'll put it up just pre bed.

Sure no worries hun. Am not that well myself, so whenever suits you is good by me

[greeneyedgirl]

A Greater Moses - Hebrews 3:1-4:13

Everyday we are bombarded by people telling us that it's silly to be a Christian, we don't live a good life, we are missing out on X, Y and Z (whatever X, Y and Z might be: sex, drugs, stealing, carefree lifestyle, whatever). How easy do you find it to slip into thinking "Maybe they're right, maybe not being a Christian would be BETTER"? And how often do you find yourself slipping into not acting like a Christian in the hope for finding that awesome happiness that a non-religious life is always portrayed as?

Read Hebrews 3:1-6

What does verse 1 tell us to do? Why (thinking about the past two studies) should we do this? How can we make sure we do this?

Moses was though of as beter than any other prophet, how does Jesus compare to him?

Read Hebrews 3:7-19

What are we told not to do?

Read Hebrews 4:1-11

The quotation from Psalm 95 talks about the story of Israel after they were rescued from Egypt, and how they didn't trust God while they were in the desert and how they then were unable to enter the promised land. How can this be related to us today?

The Israelites believed that life had been better in Egypt, how is this mirrored in the world's thinking nowadays?

Read Hebrews 4:12-13

Look at the description of God's word, how can we see these qualities in our own lives/lives of others?

How often do we use the word to adjust our way of life?

How can we make sure we're not just using it for comfort but also to correct us when we're going wrong?

Prayer

Thank God that Jesus brought your message to us and created the house of God. Thank Him that He has done everything so we are worthy to be in God's house.

Say sorry for those times you may have turned away and hardened your heart to listen to the world's point of view instead.

Ask that God will help you focus on His word and let it transform you fully.

[LostHorizons]

I'm very late to this, but will be going through the Psalm study tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing how my thoughts compare with those of other people here

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

(Original post by LostHorizons)
I'm very late to this, but will be going through the Psalm study tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing how my thoughts compare with those of other people here

You go for it hun!

Will try and do this later today, GEG, if I'm feeling OK

[+ polarity -]

Cool.

[greeneyedgirl]

(Original post by LostHorizons)
I'm very late to this, but will be going through the Psalm study tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing how my thoughts compare with those of other people here

Better late than never

(Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd)
You go for it hun!

Will try and do this later today, GEG, if I'm feeling OK

No rush at all hun

(Original post by + polarity -)
Cool.

It is, isn't it!

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

(Original post by greeneyedgirl)
No rush at all hun

Thanks hun. Head still a bit of a mess but will try again tomorrow. Looks like a good passage!

[greeneyedgirl]

(Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd)
Thanks hun. Head still a bit of a mess but will try again tomorrow. Looks like a good passage!

I definitely found it challenging but useful

[+ polarity -]

I kind of want to join in, but I'm... just not in the right place right now

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

(Original post by + polarity -)
I kind of want to join in, but I'm... just not in the right place right now

It's OK. I'm quite ill and not in the right place either, hence why GEG is being so kind in her replies to me (coz she's lovely like that ). You just join in when/if you can. You're more than welcome to follow. And you're ALWAYS welcome in X Soc: don't forget that

[greeneyedgirl]

(Original post by + polarity -)
I kind of want to join in, but I'm... just not in the right place right now

There are quite a few people who don't post here but still follow and think about things in their own time/PM me with thoughts/questions so you could be her lurker!

And I'm here if you need to chat always

(Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd)
It's OK. I'm quite ill and not in the right place either, hence why GEG is being so kind in her replies to me (coz she's lovely like that ). You just join in when/if you can. You're more than welcome to follow. And you're ALWAYS welcome in X Soc: don't forget that

Shan I'm honest in my replies to you, because you really are amazing!