Weekly Bible Study Review
October 28, 2012

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Cafe Class
Culture Cafe
1359 N Altadena Drive
Pasadena CA 91107
Tuesdays 11:00 am

classroom
Read-to-Believe Class
Lake Avenue Church
Family Life Room 201
309 N Lake Avenue
Pasadena CA 91101
Thursdays 7:00 pm

.Romans Challenge March 2012
Romans Challenge

Albert Baroody invites you

to read the book of Romans in two translations with three other people

in four weeks. 

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Arbo Class
LA County Arboretum
301 N Baldwin Ave
Arcadia CA 91007
Saturday 12:00 noon
Once per month

  

November 3, 2012
December 8, 2012
 
January 12, 2013
February 9, 2013
March 9, 2013
April 6, 2013
May 4, 2013
June 1, 2013
June 29, 2013
July 27, 2013
August 24, 2013
September 21, 2013
October 19, 2013
November 16, 2013
December 14, 2013 
topofpageGreetings! 

This newsletter is sent to people who attend one of Sandy's weekly Bible studies. The left column has the current class schedule. Be sure to watch for the links in each article. Clicking on them will lead you to charts, diagrams and additional articles related to your class. 

Anyone can subscribe to this free newsletter by using the link in the upper left corner. If you would like to forward this issue to a friend all you have to do is click on the link below.



 

 TuesdayTuesday Cafe Class
Exodus

 

Exodus 5:1-7:7

5:1-9 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him the Lord wanted him to let the Hebrews go into the desert for a festival. Pharaoh said he didn't know the Lord and had no reason to obey Him. They told Pharaoh that if he refused to let them go then the Lord might strike the Hebrews with plagues or even kill them. But Pharaoh sent Moses and Aaron away. The same day he ordered the slave masters to stop supplying the Hebrews with straw but still require the same number of bricks to be made each day. He said the Hebrews were just lazy so he would make their work harder, then they'd pay no attention to Moses and Aaron.

 

In class we talked at length about Pharaoh saying he didn't know the God of the Hebrews and would not obey Him. Pharaoh was not an atheist. On the contrary, He believed in many gods. The Egyptians even worshiped Pharaoh as a god. The fact that the Hebrews were slaves and the Egyptians were their masters would have convinced most people that Egyptian gods were more powerful than the God of the Hebrews. But the Lord was about to show the world that He is more powerful than all the Egyptian gods put together. When He sends His plagues on the Egyptians He will do it in such a way that everyone will know that there are no other gods besides the God of the Hebrews.

 

v. 10-23 The Egyptian slave masters beat the Hebrew foremen for not meeting their daily quota of bricks. The foremen appealed to Pharaoh saying it wasn't fair for him to expect them to make as many bricks when they had to go out and forage for straw. But Pharaoh just told them they were lazy and sent them back to work. The Hebrew foremen realized they were in big trouble. When they saw Moses and Aaron waiting for them they were angry and blamed them for the trouble they were in. Moses went to the Lord and asked Him why He had brought such trouble upon the Hebrews. Moses said to the Lord, "You have not rescued your people at all."

Click to read more...

 

rtbclassThursday Read-to-Believe Class  
Hebrews

Hebrews 7:1-9:28

7:1-10 Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. We read earlier about how he met Abraham after the defeat of the kings (click for handout). Abraham gave him 10% of the plunder. Melchizedek means "king of righteousness" and king of Salem means "king of peace." No one knows where he came from; his genealogy is unknown. "Without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever." We know Melchizedek was greater than Abraham because he received the tithe from him and blessed him. The greater one always blesses the lesser. He was also greater than the Levites because although the Law requires the Levites to collect the tithe from their brothers, Levi essentially paid a tithe to Melchizedek through his great-grandfather Abraham. The author is showing his readers why the Melchizedekian priesthood is superior to the Levitical priesthood. The main point of this description of Melchizedek is not to nail down with certainty who he was. Some people today think he was the pre-incarnate Christ, or an angel, or Shem, etc. But the author is less concerned about the identity of Melchizedek than he is with proving the superiority of the Melchizedekian priesthood.

 

v. 11-19 Obviously the Levitical priesthood could not bring about perfection otherwise there would have been no need for the Melchizedekian order. "When there is a change of the priesthood there must also be a change of the law." Jesus belonged to the tribe of Judah, not the tribe of Levi. He couldn't have been a high priest in the Levitical system because He came from the wrong tribe. Jesus is high priest of the order of Melchizedek. He became high priest not on the basis of His ancestry, but "on the basis of the power of an indestructible life." Take a moment to think about that statement. Jesus is indestructible. He cannot be stopped. He will never die and be replaced by another. The former priesthood was set aside because it could not do what the Melchizedekian order can do. This new priesthood is "a better hope" through which believers can draw near to God.

Click to read more...

 
Since ancient times the Bible has been read aloud to groups of people who were eager to hear the words of Life. We're really no different today. Believers still look to the Bible for wisdom and instruction. We belong in the Word together. Thank you for your participation in these classes. I hope you will pass this email on to others and invite them to attend a Bible study.

Grace and peace,
Sandy Blank


  Tuesday2Tuesday Cafe Class (continued)
Exodus 5:1-7:7

6:1-8 The Lord told Moses that now he would see how His mighty hand would cause Pharaoh to drive the Hebrews out of his land. The Lord explained that in the past He was known as "God Almighty" but now He would be known as "the Lord." He is the same one who promised to give Canaan to Abraham's descendants and He will free the Israelites so they will be His people and He will be their God. This was His decision, not theirs. He chose them.

  

v. 9-13 When Moses reported all this to the Hebrews they did not listen to him because of their discouragement. The Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let them go but Moses didn't think Pharaoh would listen to him if his own people would not listen. Nevertheless, the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

 

v. 14-24 Next, Moses launches into a genealogy listing the tribal leaders of the descendants of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi-- Leah's oldest sons. He does not include Jacob's nine other sons, perhaps because his intention is to show the ancestry of himself and Aaron. Remember, the Levitical priesthood will begin with Aaron. In class we read though the list of names and traced them on the genealogy chart. Click for genealogy chart. Notice that Aaron's sons are listed but not the sons of Moses.

  

7:1-2 Moses was still reluctant to speak to Pharaoh but the Lord said Moses would be "like God" to Pharaoh and Aaron would be like Moses' prophet who would speak for him. The Lord expected Moses to say everything he was commanded to say. The words would be communicated from the Lord to Moses, from Moses to Aaron, then from Aaron to Pharaoh. 
 

v. 3-13 The Lord said He would harden Pharaoh's heart, meaning that he would not listen to Moses and let the people go. Then the Lord said He would "stretch out" His hand against Egypt with plagues and bring the Israelites out. Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83. They did just what the Lord commanded.  

 

In class we talked about why the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart. This statement has to be understood in the context of the entire story of the exodus. The Lord was about to reveal Himself and His mighty strength to the world through the way He rescues an entire nation and releases them from their servitude to another nation. He will systematically undermine the pantheon of gods on which the Egyptians have relied through a series of ten plagues. We will see that Pharaoh's officials were ready to give up by the seventh plague (10:7) but Pharaoh's heart was still hard. It was necessary for the Lord to send all ten plagues therefore He needed an opponent who could go ten rounds with Him. If the Lord hadn't hardened Pharoah's heart he probably would have given up and let the Hebrews leave before the Lord had accomplished His purpose. Let's keep in mind that the Pharaoh wasn't some nice mild-mannered guy that God singled out for no reason. This is not the Pharaoh who had been kind to Joseph 400 years earlier. This is the Pharaoh who subjected the Hebrews to forced labor and ordered the midwives and his own people to kill all the baby boys.

 Much more next time.

  --Sandy Blank

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readtobelieveThursday Read-to-Believe Class (continued)  

Hebrews 7:1-9:28

7:20-22 There was not an oath associated with the Levitical priesthood. But Jesus became High Priest with an oath. "The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: 'You are a priest forever.'" Notice how God's oath confirms the statement and makes it more certain. He will not change His mind. What He says He will do, He will do. It's because of the oath that Jesus is "the guarantee of a better covenant." The new covenant is better than the old.
   

v. 23-8:2 There have been many high priests in the Levitical priesthood because a new one had to be appointed whenever the current high priest died. But Jesus lives forever and will never die. Therefore He has a permanent priesthood. Those who come to God through Jesus (not through some other means like the Levitical high priest) are saved forever because He "always lives to intercede for them." The author makes it clear that people need a high priest. Someone must serve as their mediator and intercede for them. Jesus meets this need for a high priest because He is "holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens." This cannot be said about the Levitical high priests. Jesus doesn't have to offer sacrifices for His own sins because He has never sinned. He offered Himself as the sacrifice once and for all. Levitical high priests were appointed by the Law of Moses and they are weak. But God's oath which came after the Law appoints the Son of God "who has been made perfect forever." The author says "The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest" who serves in the heavenly sanctuary in the "true tabernacle set up by the Lord."

 

Keep in mind that the author is writing to Jewish-Christian converts who were being tempted to go back to Judaism. Click to see the diagram. The Temple in Jerusalem is still standing, sacrifices are being offered every day, and the high priest was still entering the holy of holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. They don't know that in a few short years the Temple will be destroyed. There will be nothing to go back to. The author is explaining to them that whatever they felt they lost when they became Christians has been replaced by something infinitely better. They have a better High Priest of a better order of priests. They have a sanctuary in the true tabernacle set up by the Lord and not by men. They have had the ultimate sacrifice offered on their behalf by their everlasting intercessor. They have an inheritance far richer than the Promised Land and the traditions of their fathers. As we continue to read Hebrews we will see more details of how much they have gained by following Christ. This should be a great encouragement for us today.  

 

8:3-6 High priests, whether Levitical or Melchizedekian, are appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices to God. Therefore Jesus also had to have something to offer. On earth He did not serve as a high priest in the Temple which was merely "a copy and shadow of what is in heaven." Remember that Moses was told to make the tabernacle according to the pattern he was shown on Mount Sinai. The physical Temple that stood in Jerusalem was only a shadow of the real Temple in the heavenly realm. The Reality in heaven casts a shadow and that shadow is physical and temporary. Although Jesus was not a Levitical high priest, His ministry is superior to theirs just like the new covenant He mediates is superior to the old covenant.

 

v. 7-12 What was wrong with the old covenant? "God found fault with the people and declared that a time would come when He would make a new covenant with the house of Israel and Judah. It would not be like the old covenant that He made with the ancient Israelites because they didn't remain faithful to their agreement. The Lord turned away from them because of their unfaithfulness. But now through this new covenant the Lord puts His laws in their hearts and minds rather than on stone tablets. None of them will have to teach others to know the Lord because they will all know Him. Their sins will be forgiven. In class we talked about believers having a personal relationship with Jesus and with the Father through Him. This is different than what the Israelites experienced under the old covenant. Their mediator was the high priest, not Christ.

 

v. 13 "By calling this covenant 'new,' He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear." This is a powerful statement that has strong implications for us today. The author is saying that the old covenant is obsolete because a new and better covenant is now in effect. An example we used in class was refinancing a house. The original mortgage had a certain interest rate and repayment date. But it is replaced by the new mortgage and the terms of the old one no longer apply. The terms are set by the new agreement.

 

The author also says that the old covenant will soon disappear. The readers probably didn't know that it would disappear within their lifetime. In 70 AD the Temple was destroyed and it has never been rebuilt. There is no longer a Levitical high priest and no sacrifices can be offered as were required by the Law of Moses. The new covenant made the old one obsolete.

 

9:1-10 The author gives a brief description of the tabernacle that Moses was commanded to make. The first room was called the Holy Place and contained the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread. Behind the curtain, in the Most Holy Place, were the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant containing the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. There were golden cherubim overshadowing the cover of the ark. The priests entered the Holy Place daily to carry on their ministry of lighting the lamps and changing the showbread. But only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place once a year with blood from a sacrifice he offered for himself and for the sins the people committed in ignorance. Why was all this set up the way it was? "The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing." Notice the "not yet." The rituals of the old covenant continued for hundreds of years until at last Christ came as the High Priest who would offer the ultimate atoning sacrifice. The author goes on to say that this ritual was an illustration for their own time (1st century AD) indicating that their animal sacrifices did not "clear the conscience of the worshiper." These were only intended to be temporary "external regulations applying until the time of the new order."

 

v. 11-15 The Levitical high priest entered the inner room of the earthly tabernacle with the blood of animals. Christ entered the greater Tabernacle in the heavenly realm with His own blood
"having obtained eternal redemption." Under the Mosaic Law the blood of goats and bulls and "the ashes of a heifer" sprinkled on one who is ceremonially unclean makes them outwardly clean. But the blood of Christ actually cleanses their consciences. This is why Christ is the mediator of a new covenant-- to set them free from the sins they committed under the old covenant.

 

What did the author mean by the "ashes of a heifer"? Read Numbers 19. According to the law the Israelites were to select a perfect red heifer, slaughter it outside the camp and burn it up thoroughly. Then the ashes were gathered and placed in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. Whenever someone became ceremonially unclean by touching a dead body the priest would sprinkle them with some of the ashes of the red heifer, then they would be clean. The author's point is that if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer can make a person ceremonially clean then certainly the blood of Christ can take away their sins and cleanse them inwardly by cleansing their consciences. In class we talked about how personal salvation is. The guilt a sinner feels is a very private matter. And when that guilt is taken away by the forgiveness that can only come through Christ, that too is a very personal matter.

 

v. 16-28 This new covenant is like a last will and testament. It was not put into effect until the One who made it died. Even the old covenant was put into effect with the blood of animals. Moses sprinkled the people and the tabernacle with the blood of calves. "The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." If this was true for the earthly tabernacle then it must also be true for the true Tabernacle. But the heavenly Tabernacle requires a better sacrifice-- the blood of Christ. He offered Himself as the ransom for sinners only once, not every year like the Levitical high priest. Christ has appeared once "at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Just like all men die once, Christ also died once to take away sin. He will appear again, not to bear sin again, "but to bring salvation for those who are waiting for Him."

Much more next time.

 

 --Sandy Blank

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This newsletter is maintained by Sandy Blank (Ph.D. Educational Studies, Biola; MA Biblical Studies, Grace University). If you would like further information about any of her classes or would like to know how to start a Bible study in your area please contact her at sandyblank@theocentrix.org. This newsletter is sponsored by Theocentrix, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting God-centered Bible literacy. Visit www.theocentrix.org for more information.