Free group study handout
Hebrews 12: Group Study Handout
How to use: read Hebrews 12 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.
Overview
Believers are encouraged to run with perseverance, laying aside weights and sin (vv. 1-2). They should look to Jesus, who endured the cross.
Key verse
“looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2 (WEB)
Outline
- Hebrews 12:1–2 Encouragement to Persevere
- Hebrews 12:3–6 The Necessity of Discipline
- Hebrews 12:7–11 Purpose of Divine Discipline
- Hebrews 12:12–13 Strengthening the Weak
- Hebrews 12:14–17 Pursuing Peace and Holiness
- Hebrews 12:18–24 Contrast of Mountains
- Hebrews 12:25–29 Warning Against Refusal
Discussion questions
- In v1, what does it mean to 'lay aside every weight'?
- What imagery is used in v1 to describe the Christian journey?
- The phrase 'a consuming fire' in v29: what does this convey about God's nature?
- In v24, why is Jesus described as 'the mediator of a new covenant'?
- When have you felt 'feeble knees' (v12) and needed encouragement from others?
Go deeper
Passages that echo Hebrews 12: Hebrews 10, Galatians 6, Isaiah 40.
Before next time: read Hebrews 13.