Weekly Bible Study Review

Weekly Bible Study Review

November 4, 2012

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Class Schedule
Go to www.theocentrix.org click on the "Events" tab
for maps and more information.

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

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

.
Romans Challenge

Albert Baroody invites you

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

in four weeks.

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

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

Greetings!

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.

Tuesday Cafe Class
Exodus

Exodus 7:14-11:10

The Egyptians worshiped many pagan gods and goddesses such as a frog god, a river god, a sky god, etc. Through the 10 plagues the Lord was systematically undermining the authority of their false gods. He showed that He was stronger than all their gods put together. The entire world would eventually hear about these plagues and they would know about the God of the Hebrews who had such incredible power.

Plague 1

7:14-24 The Lord told Moses to meet Pharaoh early in the morning at the river and tell him to let the Hebrews go to the desert to worship Him. Moses struck the water of the Nile River and it changed to blood. The fish died and the river smelled so bad they couldn't drink the water. The Lord told Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his hand over all the streams, canals, ponds and reservoirs and they would all turn to blood as well. Even the water in the buckets and stone jars turned to blood. But Pharaoh's magicians were able to do the same thing through their "secret arts" and Pharaoh would not listen. He went back to his palace while the people dug along the Nile to get drinking water. Seven days went by before the next plague.

Plague 2

8:1-15 Moses was again sent to tell Pharaoh to let the Lord's people go so they may worship Him in the desert. The next plague was frogs that came up out of the Nile and invaded the palace, the homes, the ovens and kneading troughs. The magicians were able to do the same thing by their secret arts. Pharaoh asked Moses to pray that the Lord would take the frogs away. Apparently his magicians could make frogs appear but they couldn't get rid of them. Moses allowed Pharaoh to set the time that the frogs would be gone so he would know there is no one like the Lord. Pharaoh said, "Tomorrow." Moses left Pharaoh and prayed. The next day the Lord made the frogs die except for those in the Nile. The people piled up the dead frogs in heaps and the land reeked of them. But Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not honor his promise that the Israelites could leave.

Click to read more...

Thursday Read-to-Believe Class
Hebrews

Hebrews 9:11-10:39

9:11-15 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 them inwardly by cleansing 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 clearing their guilty consciences. In class we talked about how personal salvation is. The guilt a sinner feels is a very private matter. So is the sense of peace one feels after being forgiven. The old covenant was about external matters while the new covenant is about internal ones.

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, instead of 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 die again, "but to bring salvation for those who are waiting for Him."

10:1-4 The Law of Moses was only a "shadow" of the Reality that exists in the heavenly realm. Since it's a shadow it can't do what the Reality is able to do, namely cleanse people from their sin. Rather the Law existed to remind the people of their sin and their need for a Savior. Animal sacrifices do not forgive sins.

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

Tuesday Cafe Class (continued)

Exodus 7:14-11:10

Plague 3

v. 16-19 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to strike the dust with the staff and the dust became gnats. They came upon people and animals. This is the first plague the Egyptian magicians could not replicate. They told Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen.

Plague 4

v. 20-32 Moses told Pharaoh again to let the Israelites go worship the Lord or else the next plague would be flies. This is the first plague in which the Lord made a distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians. There were no swarms of flies in the land of Goshen. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and told them they could sacrifice to their God right there in the land of Egypt. But Moses said the Egyptians would stone them because their sacrifices would be detestable to Egyptians. They must be allowed to go into the desert. Pharaoh agreed they could go, but not too far. Moses prayed and the next day the flies were gone. Once again Pharaoh would not let the people go.

Plague 5

9:1-7 The next plague was on the livestock-- the horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. The loss of these animals affected the transportation, clothing and food supply of the whole land of Egypt. Once again the Lord made a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites. All the livestock of the Egyptians died but not one of the animals in Goshen. Even after this, Pharaoh would not let them leave.

Plague 6

v. 8-12 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to stand before Pharaoh and take handfuls of soot from a furnace, throw it into the air and it caused painful boils to break out on people and animals. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils. "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart" and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron. In class we talked about how sometimes it says the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and other times it says Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

Plague 7

v. 13-35 The Lord again told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the Israelites go in the desert to worship Him. He made it clear that He is powerful and could have wiped them off the face of the earth by now if He wanted to do that. But He raised Pharaoh up so He could show His power and proclaim His name in all the earth. Pharaoh was warned to bring all the people and livestock in from the fields because a terrible hailstorm was about to come. The officials who feared the Lord brought in their servants and animals but others ignored the warning and left them in the fields. The next day the Lord sent the worst hailstorm that the Egyptians had ever seen. The hail stripped the trees and killed men and animals. But it did not hail in Goshen. Pharaoh finally admitted that the Lord was right and he was wrong. He asked Moses to pray for the hail and thunder to stop. Moses did pray for him but he knew that Pharaoh and his officials still didn't fear the Lord. The hail stopped but not before it ruined the flax and barley. However the wheat and spelt were not ripe yet and were not destroyed. Even though the Lord was pouring out plagues on Egypt He showed mercy by leaving them wheat and spelt for food. Pharaoh's heart was still hard and he would not let the Israelites leave-- just as the Lord had said.

10:1-2 The Lord told Moses why He hardened Pharaoh's heart:

so He could perform these miraculous signs among the Egyptians.
so the Israelites could tell their children and grandchildren.
so the Israelites would know that "I am the Lord."

In class we discussed how we felt about the Lord causing such great destruction and loss of life in order to reveal Himself as Lord over all. Is the Lord of the Old Testament really the same God that we see in the New Testament? Why does He seem so angry in the OT and so kind in the NT? He shows kindness and gentleness to some and utterly destroys others in the same day. If we claim that God is sovereign, do we mean He's sovereign over everything? Our discussion did not resolve all the questions but it did remind us that God is complex and multi-faceted. We talked about the need for the Lord to harden Pharaoh's heart because otherwise he may have given in and allowed the Israelites to leave after the first couple of plagues. But the full course of 10 plagues was necessary in order to undermine the authority of the false gods. The whole world would see that the Lord is more powerful than all the gods of Egypt combined.

Plague 8

v. 3-15 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh again and told him to let the Israelites go worship the Lord in the desert or else there would be a plague of locusts that would eat what little was left in the land. The locusts would cover the ground and fill their houses. Pharaoh's officials urged him to let the Israelites leave saying, "Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?" So Pharaoh asked Moses who would be going on this trip to the desert. He became angry when Moses said all of them would go. Pharaoh gave permission for only the men to go because he knew they would return for their wives, children and livestock. Moses refused to negotiate. He stretched out his staff and the Lord brought the locusts in with a strong east wind. They covered the land and ate every green plant and tree.

v. 16-20 The plague of locusts got Pharaoh's attention. He confessed to Moses that he and his people had sinned against the Lord. He asked Moses to forgive him and pray to the Lord to remove this plague. Moses left him and prayed. The Lord brought a strong west wind that blew the locusts into the Red Sea. "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go."

Plague 9

v. 21-27 The Lord told Moses to stretch out his hand and there would be thick darkness over the land of Egypt. A "darkness that can be felt." People couldn't see each other or leave their homes for three days. But all the Israelites had light. Pharaoh told Moses that they could leave but he refused to let them take their livestock. Again Moses would not negotiate. He said they must take all their livestock because he didn't know what the Lord would require for sacrifices. "The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart" and he wouldn't let them go.

Plague 10

10:28-11:10 Pharaoh sent Moses away saying that they would never see each other again, but if they did then Moses would die. Moses agreed that he would never appear before Pharaoh again. Instead, he said, Pharaoh's officials would come to Moses and beg him to take the Israelites and leave. Verses 1-3 are an aside that reminds the reader what the Lord had said to Moses earlier about there being one final plague. The Egyptians would willingly give the Israelites gold and silver because Moses was respected by the people. Verse 4 continues Moses' conversation with Pharaoh in which he states that the Lord will go throughout the land at midnight and every firstborn among the Egyptians will die, as well as the firstborn of all the cattle. There will be loud wailing among all Egyptians, but not so much as a dog barking among the Israelites. The Lord would distinguish between the two nations and spare the Israelites. Then Pharaoh's officials would come to Moses and beg him to leave. "After that," said Moses, "I will leave." "Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh." Moses had been told by the Lord that Pharaoh would not listen to him so that the Lord's "wonders may be multiplied in Egypt."

Much more next time.

--Sandy Blank

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Thursday Read-to-Believe Class (continued)

Hebrews 9:11-10:39

10:5-9 Jesus is the one speaking in Psalm 40:6-8. He speaks to God the Father and says that animal sacrifices are not what God desires. Jesus has come to do the will of the Father and that is what God desires. Jesus "sets aside" the old sacrificial system that was inadequate to forgive sins in order to "establish" this new covenant with a better sacrifice (His physical body) that has the power to save people forever.

v. 10-14 Jesus offered Himself "once for all." This is contrasted with the daily offerings of the Levitical priests. Jesus' one-time sacrifice of His own body will never have to be repeated. It was offered once for all time and now He is seated (not standing like the priests) at the right hand of the Father. Jesus waits with God until His enemies will be made His footstool.

v. 15-22 Next the Holy Spirit is called as a witness that this new covenant is not written in stone like the old one but is written in people's hearts and minds. Since their sins have been forgiven by the one-time sacrifice of Christ there is no need to keep offering the sacrifices that were required by the Law. Believers can confidently enter the Holy of Holies-- something the Levitical priests could never have done. The blood of Christ is "the new and living way." He is a living sacrifice, not a dead one. Jesus is the "great priest over the house of God" who makes it possible to draw near to the Father.

v. 23-25 Their faith in Christ is based on the faithfulness of Christ Himself, not on their own faithfulness. That's why they have a hope that is sure. The believers are told to meet together and encourage one another. This would have been especially difficult for the first century readers. They may have wanted to hide their faith in Christ to avoid persecution by their fellow Jews who did not believe Jesus was the Messiah.

A new section starts here in verse 26. Be sure to read all the way through to the end of the chapter before trying to understand what is meant by verses 26 and 27. Keep in mind the contrasts the author has been using throughout this letter warning them not to turn away from their faith in Christ.

v. 26-27 The phrase, "deliberately keep on sinning" implies a rebellious attitude. When one has received "the knowledge of the truth" but continues with this rebellion against God then there is "no sacrifice for sin left" because the only way of forgiveness (which is faith in Christ) has been rejected. So what does this person have ahead of him or her? Fiery judgment as one who is an enemy of God.

v. 28-29 Next the author compares this to something the readers would have known very well-- the Law. Any Jew who rejected the Law of Moses was put to death by stoning. This was done "without mercy" after the first offense and was deemed a just punishment for anyone who rejected the Law. But rejecting Jesus' sacrifice is far worse than rejecting the Law of Moses. Therefore, it would seem that a heavier punishment should be in order. Rejecting Jesus is referred to as:

trampling the Son of God underfoot
calling His shed blood unholy
insulting the Holy Spirit

v. 30-34 The Lord will judge and He will take vengeance on His enemies. Just because He hasn't done it yet doesn't mean He will not. This verse refers to the wrath of God and His enemies have reason to fear Him. But the author reminds his readers that they had shown great promise in the beginning. When they first heard the Gospel preached to them they'd "stood their ground" and suffered a great deal. They were publicly insulted and persecuted. Some were imprisoned or had their property confiscated just because they were Christians. Why were they willing to be treated this way? Because they knew they had "better and lasting possessions" -- heavenly ones.

Remember the Hebrews diagram. These readers were Jews who became followers of Christ. They were being persecuted and now were tempted to go back to Judaism which would have been much easier for them. But the author has been telling them through this whole letter that they must not go back. If they go back to relying on the Mosaic Law to make them righteous in the sight of God then they will be rejecting Jesus. The Law and its sacrifices can't forgive their sins. Only the blood of Jesus can.

v. 35-39 They must not throw away their confidence in Christ by going back to a system that is inferior to Him. They need to persevere and then they will surely receive the "promise" of eternal life.

Habakkuk 2:3-4 is quoted as encouragement for them to wait as long as it takes. Christ surely will return. But if they "shrink back" then God will not be pleased with them. The author closes by saying "We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

The entire letter to the Hebrews is a well-reasoned argument proving the superiority of Christ. He is a better High Priest, of a better order of priests, who came to offer a better sacrifice-- one that takes away sin permanently. The author was trying to convince his first century readers that they must not go back into the old Levitical system but continue on the path toward eternal life in Christ.

Next time we will read chapter 11, the faith chapter.

--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.