The Grace Message with Dr. Andrew Farley

Jesus wasn't crucified in the center of religious approval. He suffered outside the gate, where rejection, shame, and grace collided. And Hebrews gives an astonishing invitation: "Let us go out to Him." Discover why following Jesus may place you outside popular religion, why that's the safest place to be, and how His finished work offers something religion never could.

1. Read verses 1–3. What do love, hospitality, and remembering prisoners look like in practical terms today?
2. Read verse 4. Why does God place such a high value on the marriage bed? How does honoring your spouse with your body reflect both belonging to Christ and the picture of Christ and His church?
3. Read verses 5–6. What is the connection between freedom from the love of money, contentment, and God's promise, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you"?
4. Read verse 7. The writer says to "imitate their faith," not simply imitate their behavior. What's the difference? Why not just copy their actions?
5. Read verses 8–9 and react to this statement: God is always the same, but the covenant has changed. It's good for us to be strengthened by grace!
6. Read verse 10. What are believers now "feasting on" in Christ that the Old Covenant could never provide?
7. Read verses 11–14. Here we are told to "go out to Him outside the camp." What might it look like for us today to leave behind popular religious systems in order to identify fully with Jesus and His grace?
8. Read verses 15–16. Under the New Covenant, what kinds of "sacrifices" does God actually desire from us?
9. Read verses 20–21. What do you see God producing or working in you that you recognize as coming from Christ rather than from your own self-effort?

I constantly struggle with the assurance of my salvation. Can you help me? How can I put God first in my life? What is 1 Corinthians 2 saying about the Holy Spirit and discernment? I've got big decisions to make, and I don't want to miss God's will!

Do we need a second portion of the Holy Spirit after salvation? Does Paul say we might lose our salvation because of coarse jesting? My son thinks we might be saved by works. What can I share with him? Do we celebrate communion in order to be forgiven by God?

I constantly struggle with the assurance of my salvation. Can you help me? How can I put God first in my life? What is 1 Corinthians 2 saying about the Holy Spirit and discernment? I've got big decisions to make, and I don't want to miss God's will!

Why did Jesus speak in parables? If God had the Devil in chains, why does He let him loose? What does it mean to reign with Christ? Isn't Jesus already reigning? What is the least we need to do to be saved?

What about fasting? Why did people fast and is it required for believers today? I forgave a debt but still hope it's paid in the future. Is that okay? Are we robbing God if we don't tithe 10%? What does New Testament giving look like?

How should we talk to God in prayer? I haven't been very kind to others lately, and I wonder if I'm really saved. Some people say the message of God's grace is antinomianism. What is that? And what about the "sins of the high hand"? What does it mean to "strengthen our limbs" in Hebrews 12?

I have called upon the Lord to be saved, but sometimes I just don't feel saved. And the fearful thoughts are overwhelming. What is our role in spiritual warfare? What is God's role? What is the mark of the Lamb in the book of Revelation? I'm worried that I accidentally sold my soul to the Devil. What does it really mean to fix our eyes on Jesus?

1. Read verses 12–13. When you feel weak, discouraged, or wounded, how does God's grace invite you toward healing rather than shame, pressure, or giving up?
2. Read verses 14–15. Why can't we see the Lord without sanctification? What does it mean to "come short of the grace of God" here?
3. Read verses 16–17. What does Esau's story teach us about exchanging something incredibly valuable for temporary relief or satisfaction? How were the recipients of this letter (Jews) tempted to do the same?
4. Read verses 18–21. What picture of God did Mount Sinai create for people living under the Old Covenant?
5. Read verses 22–24. Notice the words "But you have come." What do these verses say is already true of believers? How can knowing where you stand with God change the way you approach Him?
6. Read verses 23–24. What does it mean that we are the "righteous made perfect"? And that Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant? How does His blood speak a better message?
7. Read verses 25–29. When circumstances, emotions, and the world around us feel shaky, what might knowing we have received an unshakable kingdom inspire in us?

My friend asks: How can we say the New Testament is God's infallible message? What about babies and pets at the rapture? Do you have to pray out loud to be heard by God?