Suffering Glory

Hebrews 3 & 4

Joel Miles

March, 3 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

1. Read Hebrews 3:1. The first word is “therefore,” which means that whatever is being said here is founded upon what has just been said. Spend time discussing and summarizing Hebrews 2:5-18. How does this connect to the call to “fix our eyes on Jesus”?
2. Read Hebrews 3:1-6. It seems the author has brought up Moses here, because the recipients were tempted to leave Christianity to return to the Jewish law given to the people by Moses. How does the author explain that Jesus is better than Moses? What does verse 3:6 mean?
3. Read 3:7-11. This is a quote from Psalm 95 (traditionally understood to be written by David), where David is reflecting on the wilderness generation who was saved out of Egypt but did not make it into promised land of “rest.” How does the author seem the recipients of the letter as similar to the wilderness generation? 
4. According to the author, the offer of entering God’s rest still stands, because if Joshua (who led the people into the promised land) had given the people “rest,” then God would not have spoken through David in Psalm 95 about entering his rest. Thus, the promise of entering God’s Sabbath rest still stands for us through Jesus, and we should strive to enter that rest (Hebrews 4:11). What do you think it means to strive to enter that rest? What is the threat of not striving to enter that rest?
5. How do we do this? How do we strive to enter that rest? How do we fix our eyes on Jesus?
6. Read Hebrews 3:12-14. In what way is sin deceitful?
7. How does 3:12-14 highlight the importance of doing this together? Why is this hard? How can you encourage one to not be deceived by sin, but to fix our eyes on Jesus?