Suggestions for leading a study:
Drawing Near
Hebrews 10
Discussion Questions
-Verse 19 refers to the most holy place. This was the place in the temple where the Jews believed the presence of God dwelt. What do you think that could refer to for us, since we are not “temple worshipers”?
-According to verses 19 and 20, what grants us access to the presence of God? (note: the curtain refers to the tapestry that separated the most holy place from the rest of the temple)
-According to verse 21, what else do we have? Who is this referring to?
-A priest was someone who acted as an intermediary between people and God. What does this passage say about our need for that today?
-Since we have access to the presence of God through Jesus Christ, what does this passage suggest we do in verse 22?
-What do you think that means in practical terms for us? Is it a one time event, something we can do occasionally, or a constant reality?
-There are four things mentioned in verse 22 that also help us draw near to God:
1. A sincere heart. What might this refer to? How can a sincere heart help us draw near to God? How might insincere motives be a barrier?
2. Full Assurance of Faith. What role does faith play in drawing near to God? How might doubts be a barrier to that?
3. Hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience: How does fully knowing God’s forgiveness help us draw near? How might guilt be a barrier to that?
4. Bodies washed with pure water. This was a ritual that allowed people to feel spiritually “clean” enough to enter the temple, in spite of what they might have done. How does being cleansed of our unrighteous deeds help us draw near? How might letting them keep us “dirty” be a barrier?
-Review: what has God done to allow us to draw near to him and experience his presence?
-What can you do in your life to draw near to God?
Leaders' Guide
This study explores what it is that God has done to enable us to experience his presence and asks what we need to embrace in order to do that.
-Verse 19 refers to the most holy place. This was the place in the temple where the
Jews believed the presence of God dwelt.
What do you think that could refer to for us, since we are not “temple
worshipers”?
The concept
of the presence of God in our lives can vary widely for people depending on
their backgrounds. For people with
charismatic backgrounds, it could be
manifestations of the Spirit such as tongues, for new believers it could be a
foreign concept altogether, and for fundamental evangelicals it could focus on
Scripture or the spoken Word. The key
is simply to affirm that it is available to all believers, not to settle all of
these disputes. Allow for a variety of
responses, or even to let it stand as a big question—there certainly is a
mystery to it, although the Bible consistently affirms that all believers
should be walking in a dynamic, experiential relationship to God through Jesus
Christ.
-According to verses 19 and 20, what grants us access to
the presence of God? (note: the curtain
refers to the tapestry that separated the most holy place from the rest of the
temple)
The
blood of Jesus, spoken of as a new and living way that tears down the
curtain. This was a massive piece of
cloth that separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple. No-one was allowed through it other than the
high priest, and that only once a year.
One of the key works that the sacrifice of Jesus accomplished for us is
ongoing access to God. Much more than
just “getting us to heaven.” Make sure
your people understand this key concept.
-According to verse 21, what else do we have? Who is this referring to?
A
great priest over the house of God, also referring to Jesus Christ. For a
discussion on what this means, move on to the next question.
-A priest was someone who acted as an intermediary
between people and God. What does this
passage say about our need for that today?
For
Old Testament Jews, the priest was the one who made sacrifice for the sins of
the people. He was an essential
component to God’s people experiencing his grace and forgiveness. Now Jesus Christ has accomplished that for
us once and for all. In spite of the
fact that some traditions still affirm the value of a human intermediary, the
Bible insists that we need none to have access to the presence of God. Depending on the make-up of your group, you
can still affirm the value of leaders in the church to perform certain
functions, but it needs to be very clear that every believer has direct access
to God through Jesus Christ.
-Since we have access to the presence of God through
Jesus Christ, what does this passage suggest we do in verse 22?
Draw near to God.
-What do
you think that means in practical terms for us? Is it a one time event, something we can do occasionally, or a
constant reality?
This
is a phrase that could also draw a wide variety of responses. However it happens for people, it should be
affirmed that a sense of close-ness to God is available for us. This question also prompts us to think
beyond just a one time event, such as the salvation experience, or even a daily
“quiet time”, but an ongoing sense of the presence of God in our lives. All are important, but this passage really
speaks to a new reality in which we live, always in close contact with God
through Christ.
-There are four things mentioned in verse 22 that also
help us draw near to God:
1.
A sincere heart. What might this refer to?
How can a sincere heart help us draw near to God? How might insincere motives be a barrier?
This probably refers to
something like an undivided allegiance—sincerely seeking God to be close to
him, not out of selfish motives.
Although Scripture is clear that God has good gifts to give us and
answers our prayers, if our motivation is to “get stuff” from God, it
compromises a real sense of near-ness to him.
2.
Full Assurance of Faith. What role does faith play in drawing near to
God? How might doubts be a barrier to
that?
Faith in the Scripture is simply
a decision who we are going to trust.
Trusting God that he means what he says when he tells us that Jesus made
a way for us into his presence is obviously essential to experiencing
that. If we approach him not believing
that it is even possible, those doubts will certainly cloud our experience.
3.
Hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty
conscience: How does fully
knowing God’s forgiveness help us draw near?
How might guilt be a barrier to that?
Confession of sin can (and
should) be an important part of our relationship to God, but always with the
knowledge that they have already been dealt with by Christ on the cross. Guilt should never be our experience with
God—it will inevitably keep us from enjoying the love and acceptance that God
really has for us in his presence.
4.
Bodies washed with pure water. This was a ritual that allowed people to
feel spiritually “clean” enough to enter the temple, in spite of what they
might have done. How does being
cleansed of our unrighteous deeds help us draw near? How might letting them keep us “dirty” be a barrier?
If the previous question dealt
with our inner thoughts, this might be seen as dealing more with external
deeds. It is obviously related to the
previous, since it is those deeds that many times create our guilty
consciences. But people need to know
that it’s all been handled by Christ—not just how we feel about what we’ve
done, but the deeds themselves are removed from us by Christ’s atoning work on
the cross. We also need to know,
however, that continuing in those deeds will always be a barrier to knowing
God’s presence. Whether or not they are
forgiven, they will still make us “feel” too dirty to hang out with God, and
will also be tools that Satan uses to draw us away from him.
-Review: what has God done to allow us to draw near to
him and experience his presence?
God has made a way through Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the cross for us not just to enter his presence, but to live in it.
-What can you do in your life to draw near to God?
Here is the practical question. Try to get solid commitments from the group. Have they experienced the forgiveness of Christ to begin with? If not, that is certainly the first step. Do they have a dynamic and consistent prayer life? If not, what specific steps will they take to develop that? How can they learn to live in his presence throughout the day? Learning to have an ongoing “inner conversation” with God is critical. Scripture memorization is an incredibly powerful tool as well. Make it practical and specific and to whatever extent is possible, try to create some kind of follow up or accountability mechanism to “encourage one another” in their pursuit of the presence of God in their lives.