Hebrews: God is Not Ashamed

Hebrews 11:13-16

June 12, 2022

Sunday’s Scripture

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 

Sermon Summary

Cross Referenced Verses

Deuteronomy 3:23-27 | Philippians 4:8

Pastor’s Main Points

• All of God’s promises are firm and true, but all are not for now.
• Faith is a confidence in the promises of God, even when we can only see them at a distance.
• God is pleased when you desire Him and He is not ashamed to be your God.

Pastor’s Closing Questions

• Does my life reflect a desire for God?
• Do I know that God is not ashamed to be my God?

Pointed Questions from the Sermon

Read Hebrews 11:16. Towards the end of Pastor Adam’s sermon he made the connection between God not being ashamed of us and how as a parent he is not ashamed of his children despite what they have done wrong. What are some examples of this in your life? Even if you are not a parent, you can think of your parent’s relationship with you. 

• Why do you think parents are generally not ashamed of their children?
• How does this view of God influence the way that we interact with Him?

Read Hebrews 11:13. Today’s culture teaches instant gratification. This has even entered some churches, influencing their theology and leading to a prosperity gospel.  Why do you think that we tend to fall into this rut of instant gratification in relation to God’s promises for us?

• Read 2 Peter 3:8-9. To us it can seem like God is either reluctant to fulfill His promise or isn’t following through with it. Why do you think we can fall into this line of thinking? Why do you think this line of thinking is wrong?
• Thinking that God is slow to come back has also fueled the fire for the social gospel which falsely teaches that Christ won’t come back until we’ve made the world better. Why do you think this is a misrepresentation of God and His plan for us? 
• How might this ‘social gospel’ type of thinking lead us into a lack of dependence on God’s power and God’s leading?

Read Deuteronomy 3:23-27. Pastor Adam said in his sermon that we often use God as a tool to get what we desire. Why do you think it is easy to view God as a means to an end, and what’s wrong with that?

• Read Luke 22:42. Many times when we try to use God for our gain we tack “not my will, but your will be done” on the end of it. Why do you think that we add this mentality to our prayers? Why do you think we don’t actually mean what we are saying?
• Do you think we sometimes pray in order to try to make ourselves more comfortable here in this world, and why do you think we do this?
• Read Matthew 21:22 and James 4:3. Many times when we ask for something we don’t get it, yet Jesus said that when we ask for something we will receive it. What do you think that Jesus meant when He said that? 
• Do you think that there are wrong motives to ask God for something? What do you think those wrong motives are?

Pastor Adam said that we must take back our thought life and keep our eyes on God and the promise that He has for us. Keeping everything above in mind (recognizing that God is not ashamed of us, waiting on God’s timing, and being mindful of our motivations), what are some specific ways this week that you can take back your thought life and keep your eyes fixed on God and His promises?