Run with Perseverance E-Book

Peter DeHaan

• Herausgeber: WS
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 123

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Discover the book of Hebrews like you've never read it before. 

If you want to skip the fluff and dive deeper into Scripture, this Bible study devotional is for you! 

Peter DeHaan's down-to-earth biblical teaching style is relevant, applicable, and inspiring. Over the next 40 days while you're immersed in the book of Hebrews, you'll gain a broader understanding of how God's Word applies to your life today. 

Each day's reading includes fresh insights, application questions for your journal or small group, and additional Bible references for Christians who want to spend even more time digging into the truth of Scripture. 

Grow in your faith, find answers to life's hardest questions, and experience a closer walk with the Lord with this thought-provoking, faith-building study from Peter DeHaan, beloved Christian author and founder of the A Bible a Day website. 

RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE is perfect for individuals, families, or small groups. This life-changing study offers practical, insightful, and encouraging truths for believers from all walks of life. 

Whether you're new to studying Scripture or you've read the book of Hebrews a dozen times and never felt like it really spoke to you fully, Peter DeHaan's insights and teachings will encourage your soul and illuminate the themes in this sometimes hard-to-understand book. 

Read RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE and grow in your faith today!

Leseprobe

RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE

A 40-DAY DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDY ON THE BOOK OF HEBREWS ABOUT FAITH AND GODLY LIVING

40-DAY BIBLE STUDY SERIES

BOOK 10

PETER DEHAAN

Run with Perseverance: A 40-DayDevotionalBibleStudy on the Book of Hebrews about Faith and GodlyLivingCopyright © 2023 by PeterDeHaan.

40-DayBibleStudySeries, book 10.

All rights reserved: No part of this book may be reproduced, disseminated, or transmitted in any form, by any means, or for any purpose without the express written consent of the author or his legal representatives. The only exception is short excerpts and the cover image for reviews or academic research. For permissions: peterdehaan.com/contact.

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures taken from the HolyBible, NewInternationalVersion®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “NewInternationalVersion” are trademarks registered in the UnitedStatesPatent and TrademarkOffice by Biblica, Inc.™

Library of CongressControlNumber: 2023907151

Published by RockRoosterBooks, GrandRapids, Michigan

ISBN:

979-8-88809-045-9 (e-book)979-8-88809-046-6 (paperback)979-8-88809-047-3 (hardcover)979-8-88809-048-0 (audiobook)

Credits:

Developmental editor: JulieHarbisonCopy editor: RobynMulderCover design: CassidyWierksAuthor photo: ChelsieJensenPhotography

ToSusanWojcik

Series by PeterDeHaan

40-DayBibleStudySeriestakes a fresh and practical look into Scripture, book by book.

BibleCharacterSketchesSeriescelebrates people in Scripture, from the well-known to the obscure.

HolidayCelebrationBibleStudySeriesrejoices in the holidays with Jesus.

VisitingChurchesSeries takes an in-person look at church practices and traditions to inform and inspire today’s followers of Jesus.

Be the first to hear about Peter’s new books and receive updates at PeterDeHaan.com/updates.

CONTENTS

The Book of Hebrews

Day 1: Jesus Purifies Us

Day 2: Superior to Angels

Day 3: Pay Careful Attention

Day 4: A Little Lower than the Angels

Day 5: Brothers and Sisters with Jesus

Bonus Content: Help When Tempted

Day 6: Fix Our Thoughts on Jesus

Day 7: Hard Hearts

Day 8: Encourage One Another

Day 9: Enter Your Rest

Day 10: The Word of God

Day 11: The Great High Priest

Bonus Content: Hebrews in the Old Testament

Day 12: Time to Teach

Day 13: On to Maturity

Day 14: Finish Strong

Day 15: The Inner Sanctuary

Day 16: A Priest like Melchizedek

Bonus Content: Ten Percent

Day 17: Weak and Useless No More

Day 18: A Permanent Priesthood

Day 19: A New Covenant

Bonus Content: Offer Gifts and Sacrifices

Day 20: The Old Covenant Is Obsolete

Day 21: Annual Sacrifice

Day 22: A New Order

Day 23: A Cleansed Conscience

Day 24: The Final Sacrifice

Day 25: What the Law Foreshadows

Day 26: Made Holy

Bonus Content: Forever Forgiven

Day 27: Let Us

Bonus Content: Deliberate Sin

Day 28: Persevere

Day 29: By Faith

Day 30: Abraham

Day 31: Living in Faith

Bonus Content: Hebrews Hall of Faith

Day 32: Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph

Day 33: Moses

Day 34: More Examples of Faith

Day 35: Run with Perseverance

Bonus Content: Our Struggle against Sin

Day 36: Discipline through Hardship

Day 37: Live at Peace

Day 38: The Tale of Two Mountains

Bonus Content: An Unshakable Kingdom

Day 39: Made Holy

Day 40: A Sacrifice of Praise

What Book Do You Want to Read Next?

For Small Groups, Sunday School, and Classrooms

If You’re New to the Bible

About Peter DeHaan

Books by Peter DeHaan

THE BOOK OF HEBREWS

Hebrews is a tough read for many people. They struggle to comprehend it. So if you strain to make sense of this concise 13-chapter book, you’re not alone. In this 40-day devotional Bible study, we’ll dig into this book to unveil the powerful truths it contains.

First, a bit of background.

We don’t know who wrote Hebrews. Traditionally, many people ascribe it to Paul. Yet scholars say the writing style and structure of Hebrews doesn’t match Paul’s other letters in the Bible. They conclude he isn’t the author.

Other considerations are Apollos and Barnabas. Apollos was an educated man who thoroughly knew the OldTestamentScriptures (Acts 18:24). Barnabas was a Levite who would have likewise known the OldTestament (Acts 4:36). Though either could have written Hebrews, this is mere conjecture.

Interestingly, the author never uses the pronouns I and my and instead uses we and our. This suggests the letter to the Hebrews is a group effort. Perhaps—and this is just speculation—Paul, Apollos, andBarnabas worked as a team of writers. Also note that the authors are themselves Hebrew and part of their target audience.

Though it would be interesting to know the book’s authors, it’s more important to consider the book’s audience.

The name Hebrews suggests it’s for the Hebrew people. But does this mean the Jews (that is, the Hebrews) who have converted to Christianity or the Jews who haven’t converted? It could be either. The book of Hebrews clearly ties the old covenant of the law with the new covenant of Jesus, so either group could benefit from the text.

Hebrews, which takes less than an hour to read, could help Jewish non-Christians connect the OldTestament with Jesus, revealing him as the Savior the prophets foretold. YetHebrews seems more directed to JewishChristians, to help keep them focused on their newfound faith in Jesus and his new covenant, when they might be tempted to retreat to the familiar old covenant they grew up with.

If you’re not Jewish or familiar with Judaism, don’t despair.

The book of Hebrews is a great resource for non-Jewish believers—that is, GentileChristians. It can help us more fully appreciate how Jesus fulfills the OldTestament law when he comes to earth to die for our sins.

Hebrews is a celebration of our faith today and the OldTestament traditions that support it. By better understanding Hebrews, we’ll better understand our relationship with Jesus.

Who do you think wrote the book of Hebrews? How might that inform your understanding of this book?

[Discover more about the Hebrew people in Exodus 5:3, 9:13–14, and 10:3.]

DAY 1: JESUS PURIFIES US

HEBREWS 1:1–3

After [Jesus] had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3)

The book of Hebrews does not open like most of the other letters in the Bible. Without giving a greeting, stating its recipients, or identifying the author, it launches directly into teaching. As such, we can expect Hebrews to offer a concise and direct read, with no words wasted. The key to understanding Hebrews is patience. We must slow down and take our time. It’s not a text to rush through. It’s something to savor.

As we read Hebrews, we’ll encounter many references to the OldTestament. Though some of these may seem obscure, they’re not something we should skim or skip. They’re the point of the book and the foundation for our faith. We’ll address each reference in this study.

The writers open by confirming that in the past God spoke to the Jewish people through the prophets. We find their writings in the OldTestament: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Also included are the shorter prophetic works of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Their ministry spans several centuries and covers most of the people’s history as a nation.

But now, as well as two thousand years ago, God speaks to his people through Jesus, his Son—and not the prophets. This is the first of many transitions we’ll find recorded in the book of Hebrews. Just as God shifts from the prophets to Jesus, he moves from the old covenant to the new covenant, which we see contrasted between the OldTestament and the NewTestament of the Bible.

Jesus is God’s sole heir. He is the Creator of all things. He displays the Father’s glory and serves as the exact portrayal of his nature. AndJesus supports all things simply through his word. He’s so amazing.

But there’s more. Jesus purifies us from our sins, from the wrong things we have done and will do. He washes us clean. In doing so, he makes us right with FatherGod and restores us into a relationship with Papa.

He accomplishes all this by dying on the cross as the ultimate sin sacrifice to end all sacrifices. We’ll cover this in depth in the days ahead.

Having accomplished all this, Jesus has now returned to heaven and sits at his Father’s right hand. If we follow him, we will one day join him there.

What a glorious day that will be.

Which of these characteristics of Jesus are new to you? Have you received the purification Jesus offers?

[Discover more about purification in 1 John 1:9 and 3:3.]

DAY 2: SUPERIOR TO ANGELS

HEBREWS 1:4–14

[Jesus] became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. (Hebrews 1:4)

After introducing us to Jesus in the opening to Hebrews, our writers shift their discussion to angels. TheirJewish audience knows all about the prophets, and they’ve read about angels in Scripture, but they don’t know Jesus. To help their readers better understand Jesus, the writers compare him to angels.

First, a quick review of angels in the OldTestament.

In their first appearance in the Bible, an angel encourages Hagar after she runs away (Genesis 16:7–12) and again later after Abraham sends her away (Genesis 21:17). Angels appear to Abraham and later go to Sodom to rescue Lot and his family (Genesis 19:1–26). AsJacob prepares to meet his estranged brother, Esau, God’s angels meet him (Genesis 32:1–2). Later, an angel appears to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2). And so on. Over one hundred verses in the OldTestament mention angels.

Through all this, the Jewish people recognize angels as powerful messengers from God. In chapter one of Hebrews, we learn seven comparisons between Jesus and angels, with multiple OldTestament references.

Jesus is God’sSon. Angels are not (Psalm 2:7).God promises KingDavid that one of his descendants—who we know refers to Jesus—will rule forever. God will be his father, and he will be God’s son. Angels have no such standing (2 Samuel 7:16 and 1 Chronicles 17:12–14).To confirm the superiority of Jesus over the angels, they—and everyone else—will rightly worship him (Psalm 97:7).Jesus has authority over angels (Psalm 104:4).David prophetically declares that God’s representative, Jesus, will rule forever and be above all others, implicitly including angels (Psalm 45:6–7).It is Jesus—and not the angels—who creates both the earth and the heavens above (Psalm 8:6 and Zechariah 12:1). He will rule forever (Psalm 102:25–27).It is Jesus—and not angels—whom God invites to sit on his right hand and subject his enemies to him (Psalm 110:1).

These seven statements, which reference eleven OldTestament passages, corroborate that Jesus is greater than the angels.

The concluding statement in this passage confirms Jesus’s authority over the angels. Angels are ministering spirits. Their job is to serve (Psalm 91:11, Psalm 103:20, and Matthew 4:11).

This discussion of angels continues in the second chapter of Hebrews, which we’ll cover in the days ahead.

How does this passage better inform our understanding of angels? What does it mean to view angels as ministering spirits to serve us?

[Discover more about ministering people in 1 Samuel 2:18, 1 Chronicles 9:13, and Ezra 2:63.]

DAY 3: PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION

HEBREWS 2:1–4

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (Hebrews 2:1)

Though we may think Hebrews chapter 2 will address a new topic, it doesn’t. Instead, it builds on the passage before it in chapter 1 about angels. We get confirmation of this by the appearance of the word therefore in Hebrews 2:1. Whenever we encounter therefore in the Bible, we know that what precedes it ties in with what we’re about to read. We must consider both passages together and not isolate one from the other. It’s imperative to keep them connected.

The first chapter of Hebrews puts forth much effort to contrast Jesus with angels. The inescapable conclusion is that Jesus is superior to angels. Therefore—as the text says—we need to keep this truth in mind as we consider the next few verses.

In reading about angels in the OldTestament—the JewishScriptures—we see that everything they say happens. Their words are binding. People who don’t listen to what the angels say—those who violate angelic proclamations—receive a just punishment for their disobedience.

I’ve yet to find one place in the Bible where what an angel says doesn’t happen. Their words are reliable, and the people can count on what the angels say. SinceJesus is greater than the angels—as the writers of Hebrews just proved—how much more confidence should we place in Jesus’s words?

Though this may be an obvious conclusion for us today, it would have been foreign to the Hebrew people. The writers strive to make it clear to them: Jesus’s words matter, even more so than those of angels.

These words of Jesus point to salvation through him. We dismiss what he says to our own peril, both for the present and for our eternal future.

ThoughJesus’s words carry authority—even more so than the angels—we don’t only have what he says to rely upon. God also testifies to us about Jesus in three tangible ways. These are by “signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the HolySpirit” (Hebrews 2:4, NLT).

We see these three types of testimonies, which confirm Jesus’s words, throughout the book of Acts. Acts is a historical record that chronicles the work of Jesus’s followers and the early church. Here’s an example of each of these testimonies in the book of Acts: signs and wonders in Acts