Written about A.D.50 James is one of the earliest New Testament books. James was the half brother of Jesus and was an unbeliever until after the resurrection. This book is full of practical teaching, James wants believers not only to hear the truth but to put it into action 1:25,27.

Pause for thought

James says ”when” not ”if” you face trials of various kinds, giving the lie to those who like to give the impression that the christian life is always a bed of roses! We must never blame God for trials but we can be sure God will use the ” good the bad and the ugly” of life to our advantage if we let Him ( that is with Gods help we can to see our situation the way God see’s it 1:2-4.

Every kind of trial means that nothing is excluded and every test that a christian is called to face is included 1:2

James is not suggesting its wrong to be sad or that we should pretend to rejoice when we face the pain of trial. However we can learn to count it all joy by viewing trials as a means of spiritual growth. Trials of life are part of the ”all things” that work together for our good Romans 8:28

memory verse

God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 N.L.T.

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Pause for thought

Christians must love all other christians genuinely not only offering hospitality to those that we know but to strangers also 13:1. True christian love will not forget those in prison for their faith, we can empathise as we pray or maybe we can send a letter of encouragement letting them know they are not forgotten. We are all part of the body of Christ for if one suffers we all should feel the pain 13:2, Acts 9:4, Mathew 25:31-40.

Everything about us is changing, but in the midst of this changing world we have a saviour who will never change. Every christian generation faces the challenge of novel strange ideas that attempt to draw people away from the truth of the gospel of grace. Through the Cross Jesus has made all the ways men have tried to make them selves right with God in the past obsolete. Any ”new teaching” that tries to update Jesus Christ is heretical don’t even go there! 13:8-9 see also Hebrews 1:2 .

For the Jewish believers in Christ the fact that they had left Judaism to follow Jesus meant certain persecution, they knew what it meant to suffer with Jesus outside the city. Let us keep our focus on Jesus who is the same yesterday today and forever we might have to bear some disgrace but hey! this world is only temporary the best is yet to come 13:13

Memory verse

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday today and forever Hebrews 13:8 N.L.T.

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Make no mistake every Christian is a role model to other Christians. Therefore its important that we mark out a strait path for ourselves so those who follow even though weak like us will not slip but become stronger in Jesus 12: 12-13.

Esau deliberately turned away from God when he sold his birthright, a root of bitterness sprang up and destroyed his life. We must make sure that we don’t miss out on the grace of God. We must not relegate grace simply to the gift of salvation, we need grace everyday, without grace we are unable to be what God has called us to be. If we think we can deal with the sins of the flesh in our own way we are in danger of turning away from God, this is when a root of bitterness starts to grow. A root of bitterness effects not only ourselves but others also, if we hold onto things that God has already dealt with, or don’t forgive others as God has forgiven us a bitter root will not only engulf us but destroy fellowship with others and be in danger of grieving the Holy Spirit also 12:13-14, Ephesians 4:30.u

The good news is that unlike Esau we are Gods children through our faith in Jesus, if we turn to Him he will forgive us and deal with the bitter root for good 1 John 1: 9.

Everything will be shaken! only the eternal things that God has made will stand. This is why the, heroes of faith we read about in chapter 11 were each looking beyond this life to an eternal home. A child of God can be shaken but will stand because God will make him stand, because their name is registered in heaven 12:22-24, 27.

A verse to remember

Mark out a strait path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong. Hebrews 12:13

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The cloud of witnesses the heroes of faith are not watching us from heaven, It is their faithful lives that witness to us 12:1.

Every one of us can carry unnecessary baggage (weights) often without any awareness, its a good thing to ask the Holy Spirit to show us, then with His help we can learn to lay them aside 12:1.

While we look at the heroes of faith and what they achieved we must fix our eyes on Jesus no one has suffered as He did for each and every one of us. When hanging on the Cross He endured it all because of the joy that He knew would be His afterward. I believe every Christian will share in Christs joy at His return 12:2 see also Galatians 6:9 and Mathew 25:21

When we face hardships or feelings of discouragement never loose sight of the bigger picture, Jesus didn’t 12:2.

God is never responsible for the difficult circumstances that sometime happen but He will often use these to accomplish His purposes in our lives 12:5-11 see also Romans 8:28

God disciplines those He loves and those He loves He corrects, this is further proof that we are His Children. We should never run from but accept and even embrace God’s correction for it will make our lives more fruitful in every way 12:11

A verse to remember

He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy He knew would be His afterward. Hebrews 12:2 N.L.T.

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Pause for thought

Everyone of these Heroes share one thing in common they looked away from their own failings and believed God 11:32.

While some of faith’s heroes had amazing victories others were mistreated tortured and killed. Being a person of faith doesn’t guarantee a carefree life. But we can be sure God always keeps His promises to us. Faith rests on God’s faithfulness and is never deterred by present trials or events 11:38

We are all one in Christ Jesus there is no distinction between Old Testament saints and New Testament saints. Together we are The Body of Christ, The Bride, and we are the One New Man in Christ, When Jesus died and rose again he did this once for all Hebrews 9:28. Jesus has torn down the wall of separation between Jew and Gentile Ephesians 2:14-18.Together with them we are waiting for the trumpet sound when the graves are opened and wether dead or living we all get new bodies and we will all meet Jesus in the air when He returns with great glory 11:40, 1 Corinthians 15:50-58

A verse to remember

For God had far better things in mind for us that would benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race. Hebrews 11:40 N.L.T.

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No one is ever born with Gods kind of faith although everyone has to exercise what I would call natural faith simply just to live. Gods kind of faith is a “gift” that enabled the Patriarchs to receive and believe the call of God on their lives and have that certainty that God would keep His promises. We also received that same faith so we could receive forgiveness for all our sins through our faith in Jesus Christ and respond to God’s call upon our lives Ephesians 2:8,9,10.

Abrahams faith was tested when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, this story is a type of God the Father sacrificing His only Son, and shows Jesus willingness to be the sacrificial Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world John 1:29. However Hebrews reminds us that Abrahams test was to “prove” that He believed that God would keep His promise no matter what! even if Isaac was to die 11:1.

Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were each commended for their faith. For when each of them was about to die they were still holding tightly to Gods yet uncompleted promises as they blessed their descendants concerning what was to come 11:20-22.

The Patriarchs were very colourful characters and were all members of a dysfunctional family. The writer of Hebrews makes no mention of their sins, only their faith in the person, promises, and grace of God 8:12.

The story of Moses faith begins before He was born, with the faith of his parents and his little sister 11:23-26. Not every Christian has had praying parents, its quite unlikely that Abram did yet its very clear that God chose Abram to become “the father of faith” Abram showed his faith in God when God called him “out” of Ur to bring him ”in” to the promises of God Genesis 12, Ephesians 1:4.

Faith’s object is not faith in of itself or simply in the promises of God, but faiths object must always be in God of the promises.

Memory verse

For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 N.K.J.

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Pause for thought

The beginning point of faith is believing in God’s character. “Great is thy faithfulness o God my Father there is no shadow of turning with thee” 1 God is Omniscient meaning He knows all things including all about you and me. 2 God is Omnipotent meaning all powerful. 3 God is Omnipresent meaning ever present, He is always in reach. 4 God is Immutable meaning He cannot change. God will always do what He has promised. God always speaks the truth, It is impossible for God to do anything or promise us anything that is inconsistent with His nature 11:1-2, 2 Timothy 2:13.

The heroes of faith are to be remembered not only for their exploits but more importantly because of their faith in the person and promises of God 11:2.

Gods promises are timeless. 11:10, 13

Gods promises extend to unbelievers as well as to believers. Hear these words of Jesus from the gospel of John 3:18 There is no judgment awaiting those who trust Him. But those who do not trust Him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God. John 3:36 and Revelation 20:12-15.

A Verse to remember

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. Hebrews 11:1 N.L.T.

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Pause for thought

When we confess a sin to Jesus, we can be sure that not only has He forgiven us, the sin no longer exists. The opposite was true for those who gathered on the day of atonement, they were reminded of the sins they had committed year after year. When Jesus came He dealt with sin once and for all forgiving for ever all who put their faith in Him 10:1.

The people who gathered each year on the day of atonement became more and more sin conscious. The opposite is true for christians the blood of Christ has purified us and removed forever our guilt 10:2.

Sometimes christians can become sin conscious and this can be dealt with according to 1John 1:9 . however there are two errors we need to avoid 1 by resisting the conviction of the Holy Spirit by saying we have no sin 1John 1:8 2 resting on feelings of guilt rather than believing the Word of God 10:21 1 John 3:20-21

Can you think of ways to encourage other Christians? 10:24. Your attendance is requested at church there is something only you can do! 10:25.

An apostate is someone who after knowing Jesus as the only way of salvation then deliberately turns away and pursues a different road. One of the most dangerous of these in our day is new age teaching. Not every backslider is an apostate but every apostate is a backslider 10:26-29

We must persevere in our Christian faith I love verse 35 of chapter 10 we must not throw away our confidence in Jesus no matter what. for a great reward awaits us!

Verse to remember

But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation. Hebrews 10:39 N.L.T.

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The Levitical system of worship was symbolic of the reality to come, The Priest entered the Holy of Holies with the blood of animals. Jesus Christ our Great High Priest entered the Heavenly reality with His own blood 9:12. See John 20:17 was this when Jesus entered His Fathers presence with His own blood?

The first covenant could not free anyone from sin. Jesus died for the sins of those who were no longer alive but who had died in faith, we will read more of this in chapter eleven. Jesus saving death and glorious resurrection was once and for all 9:15

Jesus is the Way into the holy presence of God, when Jesus died on the cross the curtain that separated the Holy place from the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. This curtain represented Christs flesh Hebrews 10:20, the veil that separated God and man is no more. Jesus has entered Heaven itself to be our advocate 9:24. Jesus Blood 1 Cleanses our conscience 1John 20:19-21. 2 Purifies our hearts from deeds that lead to death. 3 Frees us from sins power 9: 12-14. Jesus Blood is the evidence of His death, confirming the new covenant is now in effect 9:16, 9:12. Jesus died once to take our sins and is coming again to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for Him 9:28

Verse to remember

For Christ has entered into Heaven itself to appear now before God as our Advocate. Hebrews 9:24 (A) N.L.T.

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The perfect sacrifice of Jesus ended forever all need for the Levitical priests and animal sacrifices.8:6

Moses had to follow the exact pattern laid down by God when the tabernacle was being built because it was to express the spiritual reality of Jesus sacrifice and what was to come. Judaism was a shadow of what was to come. while all who put their faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their personal sins have the reality.

The old covenant failed because it was based on keeping laws without giving people any power to keep them. The New covenant is a covenant of God’s grace empowered by the Holy Spirit 8:9-11, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” John1:17.

Never allow yourself to be drawn back from the grace of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will help you to maintain your stand.

A verse to remember

When God speaks of a new covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and ready to be put aside. Hebrews 8:13 N.L.T.

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