Hoping for Something Better

"God had planned something better for us... "
Hebrews 11:40

Many people live with a simmering sense of disappointment with life, with their own walk of faith, and with God. Doubts about whether or not Jesus is the only way to know God in a culture where his distinctives have become fuzzy and where radical discipleship is becoming costly only add to our discontent. The book of Hebrews was written to such people—people who needed to see clearly what makes Jesus worthy of our worship, worthy of our vigorous pursuit, worthy of our very lives.

Hoping for Something Better is an in-depth, understandable and practical Bible study of the book of Hebrews for the modern heart and mind.  In the end, readers will more fully grasp the person of Jesus Christ, what he has done for us, and why we should invest our lives in drawing near to him.

Hoping for Something Better is written for long-time believers who will appreciate the depth, to not-yet-believers who will appreciate the clarity and authenticity. The book includes questions to be answered on the text for a complete and thorough study of the book of Hebrews.

Quote from the introduction to Hoping for Something Better:
We find ourselves living with a nagging hope for something better. We want something better than the churchianity of our parents and grandparents, something better than the vague and uncertain spirituality of our neighbors, something better than guilt-induced, holier-than-thou morality, something better than here-and-now, health-and-wealth promises, something more than going-through-the-motions religiosity or the latest-fad religious experience. We were hoping for something authentic—something worth opening our hearts to and filling our minds with and giving our lives for.

And there is something better. There is something better than living life with a merely sentimental, superficial spirituality. There is something better than going through life with a debilitating fear of death. Better than becoming bored and burdened by meaningless religious ritual, better than feeling like an unwelcome outsider or an unworthy hypocrite, better than being bound by shame and regret. There is something better that makes problems and persecution worth persevering through, makes heaven worth waiting for—something worth running toward and dreaming of.
That something better is actually Some One Better. Jesus.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Were You Hoping for Something Better?

Chapter One: What Is God Saying to You? (Hebrews 1:1 – 2:4)
Jesus is everything God wants to say to us.

Chapter Two: What Are You Afraid Of? (Hebrews 2:5 –18)
Jesus frees us from the slavery of being scared to death of death.

Chapter Three: Where Are You Going? (Hebrews 3:1 – 4:13)
Jesus leads us away from meaningless ritual toward meaningful rest.

Chapter Four: What Do You Need? (Hebrews 4:14-5:10 and 7:1-28)
Jesus gives us the access to God we could never get on our own.

Chapter Five: How Can You Know that Your Faith is for Real?
(Hebrews 5:11 - 6:20)
Jesus instills an appetite for God’s word, and confidence to trust God’s promises.

Chapter Six: How Will You Get Rid of Your Guilt? (Hebrews 8:1-10:18)
Jesus provides the remedy for all of our rebellion and regrets.

Chapter Seven: Why Should You Keep on Believing? (Hebrews 10:19-39)
Jesus calls us to persevere as we face problems and persecution.

Chapter Eight: What Are You Waiting For? (Hebrews 11)
Jesus is the joy of heaven, and heaven will be worth all the waiting.

Chapter Nine: What is Your Obsession? (Hebrews 12)
Jesus is the energy behind and the ultimate destination of our faith race.

Chapter Ten: What Are You Dreaming Of? (Hebrews 12:25-13)
Jesus replaces our small-minded, self-centered, earth-bound dreams with dreams that are worthy of our pursuit.

Conclusion: Are You Ready for Something Better?

Study Guide for a 10 week personal or group study of the book of Hebrews

There is Something Better Than...

There is Something better than... settling for a vague, diminished distant understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done and why it matters... it is having your appreciation and affection and acceptance of Jesus enlarged and expanded.

Something better than... drifting along in a spiritual stream... it is grabbing hold of Jesus in a secure and saving way

Something better than... being enslaved to a debilitating dread of death... it is being set free by the truth that beyond the grave is glory.

Something better than... feeling like a hypocrite going through the motions of religiosity... it is an increasing intimacy with God and integrity with others.

Something better than... trying to work your way into God’s good graces... it is resting in what Christ has done for you.

Something better than... staying on the fringes of an intimate relationship with God... it is boldly approaching the throne of grace knowing you are accepted because of Jesus.

Something better than... relying on your own ability to be good enough to approach a holy God... it is resting in the perfect righteousness and perfect sacrifice of Christ.

Something better than... continuing to go over the basics of faith... it is growing up in God by wrestling with deeper truths.

Something better than... tasting the goodness of God without taking it in... it is swallowing it whole, entering in, grabbing hold.

Something better than... trying to live up to an external moral standard... it is living out an internal transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Something better than... giving up on following Christ when it begins to cost something... it is persevering because Jesus is worth what it costs to follow him.

Something better than... expecting to get everything you’re hoping for here and now... it is being willing to wait for all of our deepest longings to be fulfilled in heaven.

Something better than... settling for the applause of people... it is anticipating the approval of God.

Something better than... chasing after insignificant obsessions... it is orienting our lives around One Magnificent Obsession.

Something better than... refusing the discipline of God... allowing difficulty and hardship to train you for godliness.

Something better than... turning a deaf ear to God’s Word... it is opening yourself under God’s Word.

Something better than... seeking to be an insider...it is being willing to be rejected because of your connection to Christ.

Something better than... pursuing your own dreams of security and passion and significance... it is finding your security and passion and significance in Christ and his dreams for you.

Let’s not settle for anything less than something better.