Hebrews 12:3-11

Key Verse: Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.  Hebrews 12:3

·         Read Hebrews 12: 3-11 several times, preferably out loud.  How is this passage meant to encourage and strengthen the Hebrew believers?  What encouragement do you find in the passage?

·         Verses 3 and 4 reference sin.  Whose sin is the author talking about?  What in the text supports your conclusion?

·         How can the sin of others affect your faith endurance?  Why can we look to Jesus as a source of encouragement to endure in this “race” against sin?

·         Note each use of the word “discipline” in this passage.  What do you learn about God’s discipline of believers and of non-believers?  Is the author talking about discipline as a form of punishment or instruction?  You may want to look up Deuteronomy 8:1-5, Psalm 119:67, 71, Ephesians 6:4, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and 1 Peter 1:16-19 as well to help form your answer.

·         What forms can God’s discipline take?  Share a time when God led you through a form of “discipline.”  What was the outcome?

·         Do you think it is guaranteed that we will always see the “peaceful fruit of righteousness” that comes from God’s discipline of us in our earthly lifetimes? What about our heavenly lives?