Encouragement
Home Study – Part II
A Spiritual Growth Course
What is CBI?
Community Bible Institute is a Christian studies school designed “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12)
To learn more about How CBI works, get a copy of the CBI Handbook at the CBI desk in the church lobby, at the CBI desk in the Tara Center lobby, or by requesting one by email at .
Home Study courses for CBI may be obtained in a hard copy format or may be requested by and delivered as an email attachment.
1
Warning Signs
Hebrews 2:1–18
Purpose: To appreciate and act on the danger of spiritual drifting.
“Warning!” A black-and-white-lettered sign that I encounter on the Fox River in St. Charles, Illinois, warns me of a dam ahead. In that placid stream it would be easy to drift over the dam. Cigarette packs, cans of weed killer, fences around nuclear power plants—they all carry impressive warnings, designed to steer us from life-threatening perils.
In Hebrews 2, the writer erects the first of six prominent warning signs in the letter. The first, in effect, alerts us to the danger of drifting off the course of our faith-race. It tells us to concentrate on staying in the race.
1. “Now you listen to me, you hear!” You may have heard this complaint from a parent, a teacher or even a drill sergeant. Similarly, Jesus struggled with different groups of people who heard and heard and heard (Mk 4:1–20), but produced nothing. What causes spiritual indifference?
2. Read Hebrews 2:1–18. In verse 1 we read, “pay more careful attention … to,” and in verse 3 we are told not to “ignore.” What is it that we are to focus our lives on?
3. What might cause you to “drift away” from Christ, or to let “such a great salvation” slip away like a loose ring that falls off your finger?
, Acts 7:53; Gal 3:19).
4. What logic does the writer use in verses 2–3 to further focus our attention on the peril of drifting away?
5. How does the writer strengthen the warning that God's salvation in Christ is well worth our most intense obedience (vv. 3–4)?
6. What helps you to maintain a warm, life-changing relationship with Jesus?
7. To prove that Jesus is too great and too valuable to neglect, the writer tells us more about him (vv. 5–9). What major facts does he cite here?
8. From the description of Jesus in verses 10–13, paint a picture of him that would encourage a fellow Christian today.
9. Why did Jesus have “to be made like his brothers (you and me) in every way” (vv. 16–18)?
10. How does Jesus help you when you are tempted?
11. If you were to give Jesus names or titles, based on verses 5–18, what would they be?
How does knowing these titles or roles of Jesus keep you from drifting away from him and staying in the faith-race?
12. “Be sure your seatbelts are securely fastened,” the aircraft's captain warns you because of approaching turbulence. How can you help one another to be “securely fastened” into Jesus?
2
Staying in the Race
Hebrews 10:1–39
Purpose: To develop stronger relations with Christ and with fellow believers.
Faced with seemingly eternal years of schoolwork and a multitude of rules to obey, children get discouraged. When that happens, parents say, “Look at your great opportunities. Take advantage of what you have now. Don't throw it away.”
The writer of Hebrews, in chapter 10, reaches the heights of Mt. Everest with a picture of Jesus that offers his readers encouragement. From those lofty heights he tells them to warm up to God, hold their faith in him, and stir up one another in Christian faith and practice. His argument culminates at 10:18; it seems that he can gather no further evidence to draw them back to Jesus.
1. Recall an opportunity you missed because it sounded too good. What did you miss by not believing the evidence?
2. Read Hebrews 10:1–39. The writer continues to discuss Jesus and the Old Testament offerings. How do verses 1–4 prove that the Old Testament system was a shadow, not the real thing?
3. Contrast Jesus' sacrifice (the reality) with the shadow (vv. 5–10). Why is his sacrifice better?
4. What did he do for us that the Old Testament sacrifices could not (vv. 10, 14)?
5. As you meditate on verses 11–18 and the awesome love and power of Jesus to take away your sins, what are the responses in your heart and mind?
6. Summarize what God wants to do for you in Christ (vv. 1–2, 4, 10–11, 14–15, 17–18).
What could you do if you don't feel “holy” or “perfect”?
7. In light of what God has done for us in Christ (vv. 19–21), what three commands does the writer feel compelled to issue (vv. 22–24)?
8. What does the awesome privilege of coming close to God mean for us (v. 22)?
9. What role do others play in helping us to “hold unswervingly” to our faith (v. 23–25)?
10. If we fail to draw near to God, hold fast our faith and stir up one another, what is likely to happen (vv. 25–26, 38–39)?
11. How does the writer make clear that his warning of punishment applies to professing Christians (vv. 30–34)?
12. What purposes could be achieved in your life by both this strong encouragement and this stern warning?
3
Faith That Works
James Overview
James 1–5
Most of the letters we get are warm, newsy notes. But every once in a while a letter comes along that is harder to read. It is full of love but also full of honest truth that may be difficult to take. We sense its rightness, but we also sense it could mean some painful changes for us.
In this first study we will look over the whole letter of James to get an overview of some basic issues we will explore more in later studies.
1. How do you respond when people say things to you that are hard to take?
2. Read James 1–5. What kind of person do you find James to be?
3. What do we know of the people James wrote his letter to?
4. Generally, what is the tone or atmosphere of the letter? (Harsh, kind, easygoing, loving, businesslike, something else?) Explain.
How do you respond to this tone?
5. What topics are discussed in the letter?
6. What kind of images and examples does James use?
7. What unifying theme, if any, do you see in the letter?
8. How is 1:26–27 expanded on in the rest of the letter?
9. What statements in the letter do you have the most difficulty with? Why?
10. What statements in the letter do you find most exciting and encouraging? Why?
11. Ask God to work in you through the study of James.
4
Encouragement & Warning
1 John 2:12–17
Purpose: To encourage us in view of our spiritual attainments and to warn us in view of our spiritual enemies.
Pilgrim's Progress is the classic tale of Christian's escape from the City of Destruction to the Heavenly City. It is true to experience because all of us can identify with his encounters along the way. In the Valley of Humiliation he enters into combat with Apollyon, his fiercest foe. At the Hill of Difficulty he meets Adam-the-First and his three daughters: the Lust-of-the-Flesh, the Lust-of-the-Eyes and the Pride-of-Life. In the town of Folly he narrowly escapes its greatest attraction, Vanity Fair.
These encounters are John Bunyan's well-known descriptions of the threefold arena of all Christian conflict—the world, the flesh and the devil. They are the same three foes which appear here in 1 John. In a context of encouragement and warning, the apostle tells us something of the evil one, the enticement of the world and the sinful desires of the flesh.
1. How far did you progress as a Christian before you became aware of these three foes? Explain.
2. Read 1 John 2:12–17. Why would John want to give a word of encouragement at this point in his letter?
Why a word of warning?
3. Who is represented by the three groups being addressed (vv. 12–14)?
How are you encouraged by what John says to each group?
4. What is the source of our victory over the evil one (vv. 13–14)?
On a daily basis, how can that truth help us overcome his tactics and schemes?
5. Compare John's warning against worldliness (vv. 15–17) with what he says about the world elsewhere (2:2; 3:13; 4:4–5; 5:4–5, 19). What is the meaning of the word world here?
6. Why can there be no middle ground between our love for God and love for the world (vv. 15–17)?
7. How would you explain each of the three worldly desires John mentions in verse 16?
In what ways do these desires manifest themselves today?
8. What are the reasons why we are to resist such temptations (vv. 15–17)?
9. How does the realization that the world is passing away (v. 17) lessen its appeal in your life?
10. How does this passage help us gain a better understanding of our spiritual battle?
5
Encouragement & Warning
1 John 2:12–17
Purpose: To encourage us in view of our spiritual attainments and to warn us in view of our spiritual enemies.
Pilgrim's Progress is the classic tale of Christian's escape from the City of Destruction to the Heavenly City. It is true to experience because all of us can identify with his encounters along the way. In the Valley of Humiliation he enters into combat with Apollyon, his fiercest foe. At the Hill of Difficulty he meets Adam-the-First and his three daughters: the Lust-of-the-Flesh, the Lust-of-the-Eyes and the Pride-of-Life. In the town of Folly he narrowly escapes its greatest attraction, Vanity Fair.
These encounters are John Bunyan's well-known descriptions of the threefold arena of all Christian conflict—the world, the flesh and the devil. They are the same three foes which appear here in 1 John. In a context of encouragement and warning, the apostle tells us something of the evil one, the enticement of the world and the sinful desires of the flesh.
1. How far did you progress as a Christian before you became aware of these three foes? Explain.
2. Read 1 John 2:12–17. Why would John want to give a word of encouragement at this point in his letter?
Why a word of warning?
3. Who is represented by the three groups being addressed (vv. 12–14)?
How are you encouraged by what John says to each group?
4. What is the source of our victory over the evil one (vv. 13–14)?
On a daily basis, how can that truth help us overcome his tactics and schemes?
5. Compare John's warning against worldliness (vv. 15–17) with what he says about the world elsewhere (2:2; 3:13; 4:4–5; 5:4–5, 19). What is the meaning of the word world here?
6. Why can there be no middle ground between our love for God and love for the world (vv. 15–17)?
7. How would you explain each of the three worldly desires John mentions in verse 16?
In what ways do these desires manifest themselves today?
8. What are the reasons why we are to resist such temptations (vv. 15–17)?
9. How does the realization that the world is passing away (v. 17) lessen its appeal in your life?
10. How does this passage help us gain a better understanding of our spiritual battle?
6
My Dear Compromised People
Revelation 3:1–22
Purpose: To show how the church can be seduced during easy times.
This study shows that a church under pressure from a seemingly friendly environment is susceptible to false teaching, immorality, loss of fraternal love, laziness, complacency and spiritual death. The remarkable thing in these letters is how different they are from the gloom-and-doom critics of the church today. If appropriate, you might point that out.
Experts tell us we are exposed to fourteen hundred advertisements a day. It takes an enormous act of will not to be conformed to our environment, to be in but not of the world. The remaining three churches in the crownlike array of towns in Asia would be visited by a postal courier completing his circuit in the exact order of John's letters. Each letter helps us resist this powerful threat of being conformed to the world.
1. In what ways do Christian groups and churches you know resemble the surrounding culture?
2. Sardis: Read Revelation 3:1–6. In the first century, Sardis exhibited a stark contrast between its past splendor as a Persian capital and its current decay. What indications does the Lord give that the church's reputation does not match its reality?
Why is this such a serious problem?
3. Having lost most of its former glory, Sardis was now known more for its wickedness and affluence. What bearing do you think this had on the problems the church in Sardis was facing?
4. George Ladd wrote: “Here is a picture of nominal Christianity, outwardly prosperous, busy with the externals of religious activity, but devoid of spiritual life and power.” [George E. Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1972), p. 56.] To what extent does the church today fit this picture?
5. Philadelphia: Read Revelation 3:7–13. Of the seven churches, only the church in Philadelphia received nothing but praise and promises. Why would a weak church be encouraged by Jesus' promise of an open door of opportunity (v. 8)?
6. As the Philadelphian church faced opposition, how would Jesus' other promises encourage them (vv. 9–13)?
7. Many churches today feel weak, insignificant and discouraged. What can we learn from Christ's words to the Philadelphians?
8. Laodicea: Read Revelation 3:14–22. Laodicea's northern neighbor, Hierapolis, had famous hot springs. Its southern neighbor, Colosse, had refreshing cool water. A six-mile aqueduct brought water to Laodicea, but by the time it arrived it was lukewarm. How does this help us understand Christ's statements in verses 14–16?