"Sunday School"--once again my contempt for that word sounds through in my own voice--went well today. Remarkably, we had about sixty kids (although about fifteen of them were Senior High kids). Last night I played some David Crowder and walked around the pool table, trying to think of something to do a lesson on (I've misplaced the curriculum book). I pulled out one of my favorite Teen Study Bibles and looked at some of the topics. One of them was prayer so I wrote up a lesson on that. Most of what I taught was heavily influenced by Dallas Willard's "Hearing God." A remarkable book. Most of the time we talked about how God spoke to us and why, a lot of the times, we do not hear His voice.
One of the scriptures I used was Hebrews 4:16. Until I took Bible Lands and Lifeways, I didn't realize the impact of this scripture:
The letter of Hebrews was written to the Messianic Jews. While most of the letters in the New Testament are written to Gentiles (written by Paul who was the emissary to the non-Jews), Hebrews was written to the Jews who had come to faith in Christ. When the Jews read what the anonymous writer wrote, no doubt they were left with a sense of awe. To a Jew, the throne of God represented the Holy of Holies in the Temple, where God's presence dwelt. No one ever went in there, except for once a year: a priest would enter to make the atoning sacrifice for the sins of Israel. The other priests would tie a rope around his ankle in case he died; if he keeled over the altar, they could drag him back to safety, drag him out of the Holy of Holies. Now, because of Christ, we are able to enter God's presence, be real with Him, hear His voice, and not fear being killed by His presence. It's pretty crazy stuff, isn't it?
So who dey? Dey losers. Brian and I are going to Skyline tonight--I will probably just get a soda, but I have no doubt that we will have a good time. We usually have good spiritual conversations, Brian and I. Good night to you all.
One of the scriptures I used was Hebrews 4:16. Until I took Bible Lands and Lifeways, I didn't realize the impact of this scripture:
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. - New Living Translation
The letter of Hebrews was written to the Messianic Jews. While most of the letters in the New Testament are written to Gentiles (written by Paul who was the emissary to the non-Jews), Hebrews was written to the Jews who had come to faith in Christ. When the Jews read what the anonymous writer wrote, no doubt they were left with a sense of awe. To a Jew, the throne of God represented the Holy of Holies in the Temple, where God's presence dwelt. No one ever went in there, except for once a year: a priest would enter to make the atoning sacrifice for the sins of Israel. The other priests would tie a rope around his ankle in case he died; if he keeled over the altar, they could drag him back to safety, drag him out of the Holy of Holies. Now, because of Christ, we are able to enter God's presence, be real with Him, hear His voice, and not fear being killed by His presence. It's pretty crazy stuff, isn't it?
So who dey? Dey losers. Brian and I are going to Skyline tonight--I will probably just get a soda, but I have no doubt that we will have a good time. We usually have good spiritual conversations, Brian and I. Good night to you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment