Mid-Michigan Reformation Conference Calvary Presbyterian Church

Study/review questions:

1-We began the sermon this Sunday by talking about the presence of “What is true” and “What to do” in God’s word. How do these two types of statements relate to each other, and why is it important to keep them in the right relationship to each other?

2-This passage talks about drawing near to God? What gets in the way of our doing this, and why is this an issue?

3-Verse 20 says that Jesus allows us to enter into the holy places “by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.” What does it mean that he has done this “through his flesh?”

4-In what sense does Jesus serve as a sacrifice, and in what ways does he differ from the sacrifices of the Old Testament?

5-What are the duties of a priest, and how exactly does Jesus serve as our high priest? How does he differ from the priests of the Old Testament?


6-We are called in verse 22 to have the “full assurance of faith,” and in verse 23 to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.” What exactly is the source of such confidence, and how/why can we experience it?

7-Verse 24 commands us to “consider to stir one another to good works.” How is it that “not neglecting to meet together” (v. 25) is such a key component of this?

Sermon review/study questions:

1-What reasons do we have to believe that the scribe’s question in this passage is not a trap like those of others who have recently confronted Jesus? (Hint: What is different about both the way he comes asking and the way Jesus responds?)

2-In answering, Jesus first references the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. How does the first part of the Shema (“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”) relate to the second part (“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”)?

3-After this, Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:8 in pointing out a second great command (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”). How does this second command relate to the first?

4-When the scribe concurs with Jesus, he points out that true love of God and true love of neighbor are more important than all the religious activity we might be involved in. What might you do to make love of God and love of neighbor more central to your life?

5-Jesus says to the scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” What can we know about the scribe from this? What can we infer about Jesus?

6-At Calvary, our Mission Statement (why we exist) is: “We exist to know, worship, serve, and enjoy the one true God.” Our Vision Statement (how we carry out our mission) is: “We seek to love God completely, love others selflessly, and to everywhere proclaim Christ: crucified, risen, and reigning forever.” How does today’s text inform these statements?