WEEK 14- The Hope You Profess

MONDAY — Read the passage with your team.

     19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

     26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of  judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.  28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has      insulted the Spirit of grace?  30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”  31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

     32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.  33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.  34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

     35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.  37 For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay.  38 But my righteous one will live by faith.  And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”  39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Hebrews 10:19-39

What does this passage have to say about confidence?

Why is that important?

TUESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

1) When you make a commitment to live confidently, what do you need to turn away from? (v. 22)  Do you have a “guilty conscience” about anything that you need to confess to God?  Are you involved in any activities, or are you holding onto any attitudes, that you need to relinquish?  If you choose not to be repentant in these matters, can you expect to live confidently? (v. 26-31)

WEDNESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

2) What do verses 24-25 instruct you to do, in the midst of your commitment to “hold unswervingly to the hope [you] profess”?  Are you challenging your teammates, when necessary?  How are you challenging them — with judgment, or with love?  Toward what goal are you challenging them?  Is your challenge leading them  toward “love and good deeds”? (v. 24)  Do any of your teammates feel alone, abandoned, or uncared for?  How are you encouraging those teammates?

THURSDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

3) In light of verses 32-35, are there ways in which you need to stand up for what is right, even in the midst of criticism, peer pressure, or fear of consequences?  In what ways can your team make a common, united effort to do this?  What is the level of your commitment when you are unsure of what the result will be?  Do you throw your confidence away (v. 35), or do you persevere?  What does this indicate about the source of your confidence?

FRIDAY — Discuss sport applications of confidence and pray together.

· Ask your athletes to briefly reflect on what they’ve learned about confidence this week, and to repeat some of those things.  (Remind them of some of the Biblical truths about confidence you’ve discussed, if necessary.)

· Ask your team, “Based on what we learned about confidence this week...What does a confident athlete do?”  Do not settle for vague answers; challenge your athletes to go beyond general qualities of confidence, and to determine what those qualities look like in action.

· Add the results to your team’s list of descriptions of the “confident athlete”, and be sure the list is displayed somewhere that is constantly  visible, as a reminder to the team.

· Pray together as a team.  Encourage your athletes to pray for your team’s growth in regard to the discipline of confidence — especially in relation to some of the issues and challenges that you discussed together this week.  Challenge them to also ask for forgiveness, when applicable.  Give time for athletes to request prayer (regarding confidence or anything else), and pray together.