A Call to Persevere—Hebrews 10:19–39 Open It 1. When in your life did you “hang in there” the longest in the face of an extremely difficult situation? 2. Who has encouraged you the most in the last six months? 3. *How highly does your boss value perseverance in his or her employees? Explore It 1. Why did the author say that those under the new covenant could draw near to God? (10:19–22) 2. What has Jesus done for those under the new covenant? (10:20) 3. What privilege comes to those who are part of the “house of God”? (10:22) 4. What must happen before a person can draw near to God? (10:22) 5. What happens to the guilty conscience of those who put their faith in Christ? (10:22) 6. *Why are Christians able to persevere in following Christ? (10:23) 7. What kind of behavior should believers in Christ exhibit toward one another? (10:24–25) 8. What will happen to God’s enemies? (10:26–27) 9. Why is rejecting Christ more serious than rejecting the old covenant? (10:28–29) 10. What did the author consider “a dreadful thing”? (10:31) 11. *How had the Hebrew Christians responded to persecution at first? (10:32–34) 12. *What is promised to those who persevere? (10:35–39) Get It 1. How does the complete forgiveness and help offered by Christ motivate you to draw near to God? 2. When in your life have you felt the cleanest or most innocent? Why? 3. *How could someone best spur you on “toward love and good deeds”? 4. How do you personally feel about going to church or involvement in Christian groups? 5. *How does the certainty of God’s judgment challenge you? 6. What is behind the ups and downs in your spiritual journey? Apply It 1. *What is one small project you could complete today to encourage a Christian friend to persevere in his or her faith? 2. What can you do differently in your devotional times this week to “draw near to God”? 3. Since we are called to live by faith (10:38), what is one bold step of trust in God you can take today?