GROUP FELLOWSHIP

 AUTUMN 2001

November 6/8th

STUDIES IN HEBREWS

WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE OUGHT WE TO BE?

(5) HEBREWS 12.1-13 A PEOPLE WHOSE EYES ARE FIXED ON JESUS

INTRODUCTION:

• KEY PASSAGE and KEY THOUGHT: This week’s passage embodies the key message of Hebrews to a group of Christians who were faltering in their Christian commitment to Christ and the Christian life: ‘Fix your eyes on Jesus’ and don’t give up. RUN THE RACE!
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• KEY VERSE: Let’s run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus.

HINDRANCES TO GET RID OF 12.1-3

• What does the author have to say about hindrances to Christian lives?
• Which ones does he specifically identify?
• What in our modern world are, to your mind, the 6 biggest hindrances Christians have to face and deal with?
• Do they come from the outside world or from inside ourselves?

What is the biggest hindrance you personally struggle with?

(Why not stop and pray for each other?)

INSPIRATION TO RESPOND TO 12.1-2

• Inspired by ‘the saints’!
• What does the author mean by saying that we are ‘surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses’? Who are they?
• Which Bible characters have been a positive inspiration to you?
• Are there any people you have met in the Christian life who have been or are a living inspiration to your faith?

• Inspired by the Saviour
• In what ways (according to the author) can we gain inspiration from Jesus to persevere in running the race?
• What things in Jesus’ life do you find a continual inspiration to you?

(Why not pause and thank God for all the people, including Jesus, who over the years have inspired you?)

HARDSHIP TO EMBRACE 12.4-11

Instead of being put off by hardship, the Bible tells us here that we should expect it, be ready for it, and look to see God’s purpose in it.

• 12.4: What does this verse have to say about our readiness to experience hardship?
• 12.5-11: What new considerations and perspectives do these verses bring to our experiences of hardship?
• How often, in practice, do we consider the purposes God is looking to achieve in our lives through the hardships we experience?
• What should be our inner spiritual attitude to the hardships we embrace?
• What good things can hardships, undergone in the right spirit, produce in our lives?

(Try to see, by discussing together, what good thing God could be seeking to produce in your lives through the present hardships you personally are facing at the moment. And why not stop and pray for one another that God’s good purposes will be fulfilled in your lives?)

CLOSING THOUGHT: RESOLUTION TO HAVE 12.12-13

‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’

• Do you think that we western Christians need more steel in our souls? How resolute are you in your Christian discipleship?