Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read Hebrews 4:1-5. How does this passage relate to the previous chapter? What is the main command in these verses? What is the fear the author is calling us to and why should we, as Christians, fear?
• What is the comparison the author is making in v. 2? What are the different responses to the good news in v. 2?
• What is the outcome of unbelief here? What is the outcome of belief? What is the promised rest the author references?
• What is the author’s main argument from the second half of v. 3 through the end of v. 5? How does v. 6 help you answer that?

Prayerfully Meditate

• What role should fear play in the life of a Christian according to these verses?
• What is the good news this passage is referring to? What good news did the ancient Israelites have proclaimed to them?
• What kind of faith is being called for? Consider the example of the Israelites in this section of Hebrews – what kind of faith did they have?
• Why is God’s rest something we should long for? How is his rest what we need?