Westside Bible Studies

Prayer works. So does working to bring people back to the Lord. But it does make for an interesting ending to the Letter of James. The Letter of James | James 5:13-20 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praises. Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up – and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months! Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land sprouted with a harvest. My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path will save that person's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

How does James encourage Christians to exhibit patience? And what's all this about oaths and swearing? We consider what James has to say in James 5:7-12. The Letter of James | James 5:7-12 So be patient, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's return. Think of how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient for it until it receives the early and late rains. You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord's return is near. Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates! As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord's name. Think of how we regard as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job's endurance and you have seen the Lord's purpose, that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. And above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall into judgment.

James has words for the wealthy they won't want to hear. Many of us should also find them uncomfortable as well. The Letter of James | James 5:1-6 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming on you. Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven's Armies. You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, although he does not resist you.

James has warnings for Christians who judge one another and merchants who focus on profit. Join us as we explore what we can gain from these warnings and exhortations. The Letter of James | James 4:11-17 Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. He who speaks against a fellow believer or judges a fellow believer speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but its judge. But there is only one who is lawgiver and judge – the one who is able to save and destroy. On the other hand, who are you to judge your neighbor? Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit." You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. You ought to say instead, "If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that." But as it is, you boast about your arrogant plans. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin.

James has concerns about the mentality and behavior of the Jewish Christians of the Diaspora. Join us as we consider his critique and the way forward he provided in James 4:1-10. The Letter of James | James 4:1-10 Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions. Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever decides to be the world's friend makes himself God's enemy. Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, “The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning”? But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

Is "worldly wisdom" really wise? Why would James want to make contrasts between the wisdom from below and the wisdom from above? Join us as we consider James' meditations on wisdom in James 3:13-18. The Letter of James | James 3:13-18 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical. And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those who make peace.

Why should not many be teachers? What do we do with that instruction? Why is James so negative about our speech? The Letter of James | James 3:1-12 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we will be judged more strictly. For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual, able to control the entire body as well. And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we guide their entire bodies. Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot's inclination directs. So too the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has great pretensions. Think how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell. For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God's image. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.

Faith without works is dead. Christians are justified by faith working through love. There's a lot of doctrinal drama at stake with James 2:14-26. But we should not neglect James' concern to provide for the poor. James 2:14-26 | The Letter of James What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works. You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear. But would you like evidence, you empty fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,” and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Showing partiality means a lot more to God than we would care to admit. We need to remember how Jesus will be judging us - and He is paying attention to how we judge others. The Letter of James | James 2:8-13 But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law. Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom. For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:8-13).

Join us as we discuss what James has to say for Jewish Christians, and for all of us, in terms of showing prejudice and resisting God's preferential concern for the poor in James 2:1-9! My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if someone comes into your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? If so, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to? But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators (James 2:1-9).

Join us as we explore what James has to say in James 1:19-27! Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. For human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness. So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he will be blessed in what he does. If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their adversity and to keep oneself unstained by the world (James 1:19-27).

Join us as we explore James 1:12-18! Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created (James 1:12-18).

Join Ethan as he explores James 1:1-11! From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings! My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways. Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position. But the rich person's pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away (James 1:1-11).

From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings! (James 1:1). Who is James? Why did he write a letter, and to whom? Join us as we consider the context and purpose of the Letter of James.

What can we gain from our study of the churches of the New Testament? Can we speak of a "New Testament" church, and how? Churches of the New Testament | The New Testament Church

What did God condemn in the churches of the New Testament? How should Christians today address matters of sin and abused liberties? Churches of the New Testament | What God Condemns

What conclusions can we draw from these pictures of the churches of the New Testament? What did God commend, and how did they operate? Churches of the New Testament | What God Approves

What did Jesus in the Spirit say to the churches of Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea? What can we gain from their examples? Churches of the New Testament | Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea

What can we know about the churches in Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira? Churches of the New Testament | Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira

What can be known about Colossae and the church there? What tragedy would befall them? Churches of the New Testament | Colossae

How did the church in Rome endure the persecutions of Nero? What would come of the church in Rome? Join Ethan as we conclude what we can know about the churches in Rome. Churches of the New Testament | Rome (Part 2)

When did the Gospel get to Rome? What can we learn from Paul about the churches in Rome? Churches of the New Testament | Rome

What would happen to the church in Ephesus in its second and/or third generations? Join Ethan as we consider more regarding the church in Ephesus. Churches of the New Testament | Ephesus

How did the Gospel spread in the heart of Asia? Join Ethan as we begin discussing what can be known about the church in Ephesus. Churches of the New Testament | Ephesus

How was the church in Corinth a hot mess? Yet what did Jesus still see and have in the church in Corinth? Join Ethan as he discusses the challenges, and the promise, of the church in Corinth. Churches of the New Testament | Corinth (Part 2)

What kind of city was Corinth in the first century? How did the church in Corinth come about? What would it become known for? Join Ethan as we begin discussing what can be known about the church in Corinth. Churches of the New Testament | Corinth (Part 1)

How did the church in Thessalonica come to be and develop even in the midst of persecution? Join us as Ethan describes what we can know about the church in Thessalonica in Scripture. Churches of the New Testament | Thessalonica

Where do encouragers get their encouragement? Join Ethan as we discuss what can be known about the church in Philippi and their enduring relationship with the Apostle Paul. Churches of the New Testament | Philippi

We continue our conversation on the churches of Galatia. Why did Paul feel compelled to write to the Galatian churches? How can we characterize the churches of Galatia? Churches of the New Testament | Galatia (Part 2)

What can be known regarding the churches in Galatia? What difficulties attend to any ability to reconstruct the history of these congregations? Churches of the New Testament | Galatia (Part 1)

Antioch of Syria was a major trading center and a melting pot in the Eastern Mediterranean world. Join Ethan as we discuss what we can know about the church in Antioch, how they modeled joint participation in the faith which Paul would use as a model, and how all they did was centered in the Gospel. Churches of the New Testament | Antioch

What factors made Jerusalem unique as a city? What can be gained from the history of the church in Jerusalem from 30-70? Churches of the New Testament | Jerusalem

How are Christians able to live and glorify God together in the twenty-first century? What might the examples of the churches of the New Testament provide for modern Christians? Join Ethan as we begin discussing the premise of Churches of the New Testament. Churches of the New Testament | Introduction

What did the Hebrews author want God to do for those to whom he was writing? What do we think of this word of exhortation? The New and Living Way | Episode 47 | Hebrews 13:18-25 Pray for us: for we are persuaded that we have a good conscience, desiring to live honorably in all things. And I exhort you the more exceedingly to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus, make you perfect in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. But I exhort you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation: for I have written unto you in few words. Know ye that our brother Timothy hath been set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you. Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you. Grace be with you all. Amen.

Why should Christians remember and honor those who have responsibility over them? What does it look like for Christians to share in Jesus' reproach "outside the camp"? The New and Living Way | Episode 46 | Hebrews 13:7-17 Remember them that had the rule over you, men that spake unto you the word of God; and considering the issue of their life, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, (yea) and for ever. Be not carried away by divers and strange teachings: for it is good that the heart be established by grace; not by meats, wherein they that occupied themselves were not profited. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat that serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us therefore go forth unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have not here an abiding city, but we seek after the city which is to come. Through him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them: for they watch in behalf of your souls, as they that shall give account; that they may do this with joy, and not with grief: for this were unprofitable for you.

Why does the Hebrew author now make exhortations regarding conduct in the community? Why is such conduct crucial for the health of the community of God's people? The New and Living Way | Episode 45 | Hebrews 13:1-6 Let love of the brethren continue. Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; them that are ill-treated, as being yourselves also in the body. Let marriage be had in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, "I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee." So that with good courage we say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear: What shall man do unto me?"

Why should Christians hold firm to that which cannot be shaken? Why must we all get burned in order to grow in holiness? The New and Living Way | Episode 44 | Hebrews 12:25-29 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more shall not we escape who turn away from him that warneth from heaven: whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, "Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven." And this word, "Yet once more," signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: for our God is a consuming fire.

Why does it matter that we have come to the heavenly Mount Zion? What is so powerful and compelling about the Hebrews author's comparison and contrast between Sinai and Zion? The New and Living Way | Episode 43 | Hebrews 12:18-24 For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them; for they could not endure that which was enjoined, "If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned"; and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, "I exceedingly fear and quake": but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel.

Why is it so important to heal properly, even though it may hurt? How can we make sure we do not fall short of God's grace? The New and Living Way | Episode 42 | Hebrews 12:12-17 Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees; and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned out of the way, but rather be healed. Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord: looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled; lest there be any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright. For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind in his father, though he sought it diligently with tears.

How can Jesus' example encourage us to persevere? How does God use our situations and conditions to train us toward holiness? The New and Living Way | Episode 41 | Hebrews 12:3-11 For consider him that hath endured such gainsaying of sinners against himself, that ye wax not weary, fainting in your souls. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin: and ye have forgotten the exhortation which reasoneth with you as with sons, "My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art reproved of him; for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." It is for chastening that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not? But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness.

What is the race we run, and how? How will we endure the race? The New and Living Way | Episode 40 | Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that hath endured such gainsaying of sinners against himself, that ye wax not weary, fainting in your souls.

Why is it important for Christians to identify with their heritage as the people of God, and to consider their spiritual ancestors as heroic? What do Christians have that those who came before did not, and why? How important is our role in the story of God's purposes? The New and Living Way | Episode 39 | Hebrews 11:36-40 And others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword: they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves, and the holes of the earth. And these all, having had witness borne to them through their faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing concerning us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Who is the Hebrews author talking about with all of these activities? Does the story of the people of God end with Malachi? The New and Living Way | Episode 38 | Hebrews 11:32-35 And what shall I more say? For the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah; of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, waxed mighty in war, turned to flight armies of aliens. Women received their dead by a resurrection: and others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.

Why does the Hebrews author speak of two events and a Canaanite prostitute who lied as exemplars of faith? Why does he now shift from specific people and circumstances to more generalized exhortation? The New and Living Way | Episode 37 | Hebrews 11:29-32 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were swallowed up. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been compassed about for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with them that were disobedient, having received the spies with peace. And what shall I more say? for the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah; of David and Samuel and the prophets.

Why does the Hebrews author focus on Moses before Exodus 3? What significance does Passover have for the Christian? The New and Living Way | Episode 36 | Hebrews 11:24-28 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he looked unto the recompense of reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.

How did Amram and Jochebed manifest their faith in God? What part of Moses' story does the Hebrews author emphasize, and why? The New and Living Way | Episode 35 | Hebrews 11:23-26 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw he was a goodly child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he looked unto the recompense of reward.

How did Abraham display great faith in his reasoning about God's commands to him regarding Isaac? What faith stories would we tell about Jacob or Joseph? What stories does the Hebrews author tell? Why? The New and Living Way | Episode 34 | Hebrews 11:17-22 By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; even he to whom it was said, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called:" accounting that God is able to raise up, even from the dead; from whence he did also in a figure receive him back. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when his end was nigh, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

What are we to make of Abraham's faith in God's promises? How do the examples of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob relate to the Christian life? The New and Living Way | Episode 33 | Hebrews 11:11-16 By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised: wherefore also there sprang of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of heaven in multitude, and as the sand, which is by the sea-shore, innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own. And if indeed they had been mindful of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.

Upon what details does the Hebrew author focus when speaking of Abraham? What was his audience to gain from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's experience? What can we learn from it as well? The New and Living Way | Episode 32 | Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Why Enoch? Why is Hebrews 11:6 connected to his example? How did Noah condemn the world? How should we do likewise? The New and Living Way | Episode 31 | Hebrews 11:5-7 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God translated him: for he hath had witness borne to him that before his translation he had been well-pleasing unto God: and without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him. By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

The Hebrews author began the "hall of faith." Yet to what end? Why does the Hebrews author speak of faith, the creation, and Abel? The New and Living Way | Episode 30 | Hebrews 11:1-4 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. For therein the elders had witness borne to them. By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh.