Hebrews Chapter Thirteen Verses 7-16

HEBREWS CHAPTER THIRTEEN VERSES 7-16 (USING KJ TEXT, STUDY BOOK WILL REFERENCE A DIFFERENT VERSION FOR READING)

Heb 13:7  Don't forget about your leaders who taught you God's message. Remember what kind of lives they lived and try to have faith like theirs. 

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

Heb 13:9  Don't be fooled by any kind of strange teachings. It is better to receive strength from God's undeserved kindness than to depend on certain foods. After all, these foods don't really help the people who eat them. 

Heb 13:10  But we have an altar where even the priests who serve in the place of worship have no right to eat. 

Heb 13:11  After the high priest offers the blood of animals as a sin offering, the bodies of those animals are burned outside the camp. 

Heb 13:12  Jesus himself suffered outside the city gate, so that his blood would make people holy. 

Heb 13:13  That's why we should go outside the camp to Jesus and share in his disgrace. 

Heb 13:14  On this earth we don't have a city that lasts forever, but we are waiting for such a city. 

Heb 13:15  Our sacrifice is to keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus. 

Heb 13:16  But don't forget to help others and to share your possessions with them. This too is like offering a sacrifice that pleases God. 

Main Point: The writer addresses a teaching of the advantage of eating of “certain foods”….perhaps some sacrificial food. But he diffuses any value in it, citing that Jesus is our sacrifice…..and that was one made outside the traditional priesthood. That is where they (we) belong.

    5. How do Christian leaders help in our walk with God? In this text, the example is teaching and living. Remember their teaching, and emulate the way they live(d). There are no records of the Roman church conversions, but it is safe to assume it happened during the early dispersion. The church was fresh….faith and brotherly activity was high. (Sharing)

    6. How does verse 8 change how we live and learn? It requires the learner to test ANYTHING learned against what is known to be true. This context addresses the new learning of the benefit of eating specific foods. It ultimately takes the focus off of Jesus/God, and has no benefit. This speaks directly to a personal decision someone may make of a liberty. It is opinion and not a directive by God. Churches, members and sometimes leaders will assert this type of teaching over Christians who do not know their scriptures and/or are not willing to test their words inductively through the scriptures.

   7.  Explain verse 12. How did Jesus suffer outside the camp? What are we being called to in verse 13? REFERENCE Sin Offering: That which was burned outside the camp was the refuse of the Sin Offering. Jesus was the ultimate sin offering and was blatantly rejected by the priesthood. In this sense, Jesus died outside of the physical realm that the old covenant covered (and by implication, the Jewish…Mosaical system). But by the power of God, though he was considered refuse, he was actually THE sacrifice.
We too, like these Hebrews need to understand that the world may see us as refuse and trash if we associate ourselves with our God. However, as in the case of Jesus, that is where we will find the true power to transformation and salvation.

   8. What are our sacrifices to God? (15) Offer praises to God. Share with one another, be ready to help.

ADDITIONAL:

7) leaders: G2233 Middle voice of a (presumed) strengthened form of G71; to lead, that is, command (with official authority)

Verse 10 seems to indicate who was teaching this falsehood. The subsequent verses uphold the idea that these were Judaizers looking to revert…..and nullify the cross.

RE: The burning outside the camp: Ex.29:14 For a sin offering, the flesh, hide, intestines were burnt outside the camp – Sin offering

See also: (Lev. 4:, 16:27)