Week 1 | Flawed | Don’t Shrink Back
SUMMARY
For many, we would say we have faith in God “but….”. Fear, sin issues, and things we can’t intellectually reconcile leave us having a crisis of faith. The author of hebrews calls this “shrinking back”.
Hebrews was written to a group of people who had every earthly reason to shrink back, but could stand firm in their faith because they have a heavenly savior that becomes the basis of their faith.
This new series is studying people in Hebrews 11 who were just like you and I- who were deeply flawed, yet were still commended for their faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
As we begin this chapter study, the first thing we must see is that God uses flawed people to accomplish his tasks. The starting point of the gospel is having the humility to see your flaws and the willingness to walk in brokenness.
The second thing we see in this chapter, is that God measures greatness by our faith, not by the outcome. For just about every “hall of faith” member, it didn’t turn out great. Yet when we encounter suffering or pain, we tend to think something is wrong with God or with us. Yet for those who say “even if” God never fixes my problem, I’m still gonna follow him- God says he is proud to be called their God.
The third thing we must see is that it is the object of our faith and not the quality of our faith that saves us. Jesus is the confidence we have in God. And it doesn’t matter if I Feel closeness to God, what matters is the foundation of Christ.
TALK IT OUT
•Read Hebrews 10:33-39 out loud as a group. What kind of opposition were the people going through? Why were they told to have confidence?
•Have you ever had a time when your faith “shrunk back?” What caused it?
•Read Hebrews 11:1-6 out loud as a group.
•Put verse 1 in your own words as a group. What’s the difference between hope and confidence?
•In Verse 6 – the author says without faith it is impossible to please God. Why do you think faith is necessary? Pastor Scott said that faith is a relational concept. How does putting this kind of faith in the context of relationship bring clarity?
•Read Hebrews 11:13-16 and 39. Did these people receive the promises they had believed in God for? What does this passage say about how God feels about that kind of faith?
•Read Hebrews 12:1-3. According to these verses, what is the confidence we can actually have? How is this different than just blind faith, blind optimism or just belief in belief?