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Q4. (Hebrews 4:12-13) What do these two verses have to do with what precede them? How is the Word described? What effect does the Word have on us? Why do we need to continually expose ourselves to the Word of God? The previous verses demonstrate that God's rest is still available, but we are told that effort is necessary in order to enter that rest. We must be diligent to make sure that our only hope is in Jesus Christ our Lord. We must not be careless and treat God's promises lightly. We are given a warning that unbelief never goes undetected. We cannot ignore His Word with impunity; it must be received in faith and obeyed in daily life. This word of God is: living - constantly and actively alive; powerful - that is, energizing; cutting - sharper than any two-edged sword; dividing - piercing the soul and spirit; discerning - discriminating and judging with regard to the thoughts and intents of the heart. It is the word that judges us, not we who judge the word. We need to continually expose ourselves to the Word, remembering that the Word cannot be taken lightly. If we do not listen we face no one less than God himself,

Q3. (Hebrews 4:8-11) What do you think the writer of Hebrews means by this promise of "rest" for the believer? Why does the writer urge us: "Make every effort to enter that rest"? What is the difference between apostasy from Christ and the kind of falling into sin that all Christians experience from time to time? I feel the author is writing about eternal life - the eternal life through faith in Christ. We are given a warning against giving up our faith and hope; for we are reminded by what happened to Israel in the wilderness for disobeying God. The Israelites also had the good news preached to them - the good news of rest in the land of Canaan. However most ignored it and did not benefit from the gospel of rest. Apostasy is turning away from our Lord and Saviour. We have to therefore, make every effort to avoid this disaster which follows unbelief. As Christians we all sin from time to time, but here we immediately confess and ask for forgiveness, trying never to commit that sin again.

Q2. (Hebrews 3:12-14) What is the importance of faith in our relationship to Christ?

Q1. (Hebrews 3:6b) Why is the writer exhorting his readers to "hold on" to Christ? Why must we continue in our faith? According the writer of Hebrews, what happens if we don't? We are to hold on to our Lord Jesus, thereby protecting us against the danger of apostasy. Also by persevering right until the end, we prove that we are His. At no time must we lose confidence in Jesus and in His promises; our endurance is proof that we are truly born again. We have everything to gain by

Q5. (Hebrews 2:16-18) Why in God's plan did Jesus have to become human like us? How does his humanity provide encouragement and help to us when we are in trouble? Jesus became human like us in every respect, except He was without sin. He assumed true and perfect humanity so that He could become subject to human desires, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and affections. In this role Jesus was merciful to man and faithful to God. We know that Jesus' humanity was genuine by the fact that Christ was tempted. He personally experienced the power of sin when Satan confronted him and when the weaknesses of our human nature became evident. Jesus experienced hunger when he was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, thirst when he asked the woman at Jacob's well for water, weariness when he slept while the storm raged on the Sea of Galilee, and sorrow when he wept at the grave of Lazarus. It is because of His humanity and His suffering that he is merciful, sympathetic, and compassionate toward us.

Q4. (Hebrews 2:14-15) What was the purpose of Christ's death according to verses 14 and 15? In what sense is this mission accomplished? In what sense will it see its final completion in the future? What is the result in our lives from Christ's accomplishment? The purpose of Christ

Q4. (5:19-20) In the light of James' emphasis on active faith vs. dead faith (2:17), why is the role of finding and bringing back the wandering sheep so important?We sometimes underestimate the power of our prayer, thinking, what difference our prayer will make, to someone else. Here James tells us to pray fervently for any of our fellow Christians who have wandered away from the truth. This can lovingly bring them back to fellowship with God and with their fellow Christians. We must realize the immensity of this ministry. First of all, we will save our fellow believer from dying prematurely under the chastening hand of God. Secondly, a multitude of sins will be covered

Q3. (5:14-16) In the healing prayer, what is the role of oil? What is the role of the prayer of faith? What is the role of faith? What is the role of confession of sins? In these verses, the emphasis is on prayer, not on oil. This is evident from the next verse, where James affirms the power of prayer:

Q3. (Hebrews 2:10) What does it mean, to bring many sons and daughters "to glory"? In what sense did Jesus become "perfect" through suffering? What are the implications for our own lives? It is because of the redemptive work of Jesus that we are led into the glory with which the Son is crowned. Our Lord Jesus is perfect, without sin or blemish. Here the word points to the work of salvation he performed on behalf of us all. When we consider our own worthlessness, it staggers us to think that He would have even bothered with us, but it is because He is the God of all grace that He has called us to His eternal glory.

Q2. (5:14) What is the elders' role in prayer for the sick? What must be their spiritual qualifications for this ministry of prayer? The elder of the church are to be persons of sincerity and soundness in the faith, persons of long standing and experience; that is mature believers who have the gift and grace of prayer. They must also be capable of giving advice to the sick.

Q2. (Hebrews 2:9) In what way did Christ "taste death for everyone"? Why is this so dependent upon God's grace? If Christ died for your blackest and most stubborn sins, what are the implications for you? We find that God's gracious purpose in it all was that Christ might taste death for each one of us. In other words, our Saviour died as our Representative and as our Substitute; that is, He died as man and He died for man. He bore in His body on the cross all of God's judgment against sin so that those who believe on Him will never have to bear it. Jesus accomplished this redemption so that we may live and rule with him. The grace of God is equivalent to the love of God; and this infinite love was the cause of redemption by which He did not even spare His own son. This burden of sin has been lifted off our shoulders! We have been justified and adopted into God

Q1. (Hebrews 2:9) In what ways did Jesus suffer during his life and death? In what ways are we likely to suffer? Does suffering have any value? What happens when we live in such a way to avoid all suffering? Jesus suffered death and humiliation and was mistreated, all on behalf of us. We might also suffer humiliation and mistreatment for standing up for Jesus. We might not suffer death, but there are those in certain areas of the world, who might. Suffering can teach us obedience and discipline, and thereby build character. If we try to avoid all suffering we might be guilty of not defending our Lord and Saviour in this hostile world.

Q1. (5:13-14) According to verse 14, who is to initiate prayer for healing? Why might this be important? I feel that in all circumstance of life, we should go to the Lord in prayer. When we are in trouble, we should pray earnestly; and in times of rejoicing, we should lift our hearts to Him in praise. We should not allow ourselves to become victims of circumstances, or to wait for our circumstances to change. We should acknowledge that God is in control of our lives. When we come to sicknesses, we know that God does heal. We are to initiate the prayer for healing and then ask the elders to pray for us. The elders could intercede for us, while we are ill, but their presence at our bedside, and their audible prayers, as well as the anointing with oil, are all bound to have a healing effect, even if it is only psychological. This will show that we belong to a happy church served by leaders that are loving and selfless.

What does Jesus mean when he says, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit"? Why does this saying comfort us so much? It was during these three hours of darkness that Jesus bore the penalty of our sins in His body on the tree. At the close of that time, He committed His spirit into the hands of God, His Father, and voluntarily yielded up His life. A Roman centurion was so overwhelmed by the scene that he glorified God, saying,

Q6. (John 19:30) What had Jesus "finished"? What can we learn for our own lives from this Sixth Word: "It is finished"? Jesus had finished the work His Father had given him to do; the pouring out of His soul as an offering for our sin; and the work of redemption and of atonement. Our Lord Jesus could announce that a way had been provided whereby all of us as sinners could be saved. So today we can thank God for the finished work of our Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary! We can learn to live a disciplined life dedicated to Jesus. He died for us and we should be willing to live for Him!

Q5. (John 19:28) What do you learn from Jesus' Fifth Word: "I thirst"? What does this tell us about Jesus? What does this tell us about his experience on the cross? While on the cross Jesus was forsaken by God as He suffered the penalty of our sins. His cry,

Q4. (5:9) What does our grumbling and complaining say about us? About our faith? About our patience? While we are groaning and grumbling we cannot be joyful and thankful. Even though at times we might find ourselves in difficult circumstances; when we start complaining we can easily fall into sin. We start accusing God, perhaps indirectly, for the misfortunes we receive. We find fault with our fellow Believers, blaming them for our troubles; this causes friction and also makes us judge them unjustly, which is contrary to the royal law of love. Instead we should trust our Lord completely, knowing that He is in control and that we should acknowledge the fact that He is the sustainer of the universe. If God is for us, who can be against us?

Q4. (Hebrews 2:3b-4) In what way has the truth of salvation been confirmed to you? It was only when I read about the supremacy of Christ; the fact that our salvation comes only through our Lord Jesus; and that salvation is about Jesus rescuing us from the wrath to come; had the truth about salvation sunk in. In the light of eternity, things that seem important now, will shrink into oblivion. Every one of us is in imminent danger of facing that wrath, and therefore salvation is our greatest need. Would signs and wonders help or hinder establishing the truth of Christ's ministry today? From which portion of the Bible have you formed your opinion of the value of signs and wonders today? God used signs and wonders in the past to confirm the gospel. I

Q4. (Mark 15:34) What does Jesus' Fourth Word from the cross teach us about faith? About commitment? About love? What effect should this understanding have on our lives? This shows our Saviour

Q3. (5:7-8) What can happen to us Christians if we lack the patience to eagerly expect Christ's return? Why is patience so vital? James tells us to be patient and to stand firm knowing that our Lord is coming back. We, of course, do not know when that will be, but while we are waiting, doubt and distraction often enter our lives. It is for this reason, that we are to stand firm in the knowledge that our Lord will in due time fulfil the promises He made to us. We are reminded of our Lord's imminent return so that we do not lose heart in difficult circumstances. We note that patience is a virtue; because we live in a society that endorses the word instant. But to be patient, is much more than just waiting for the time to pass. We have to be patient in enduring bad and oppressive conduct, as well as controlling our anger. It is the opposite of being short-tempered. We see that God displays patience by being

Q3. (Hebrews 2:1) In what ways are we not immune to drifting away from the gospel? According to the author, how can we successfully resist the tendency to drift? His Word is the absolute truth and demands our attention. Therefore, our refusal to pay attention can have detrimental consequences and can lead to us drifting away, and eventually to our ruin. We have to meditate on His Word and put into practise what we have heard; otherwise we may drift into apostasy. We must not take the truth and teaching of the gospel lightly; they are of supreme importance to us, and can, when we think of it become a matter of life and death - we must cherish and obey it at all costs. We must pay attention and make a deliberate effort in seeking to understanding the gospel. We are to read and study God

Q3. (John 19:26-27) Why does Jesus make St. John responsible for his mother Mary? What does this tell us about Jesus? How should we apply this in our own lives? In spite of His own suffering, the Lord had tender regard for others. Seeing His mother, and John, the disciple, He got John as the one who would hereafter take the place of son to her. John obeyed and took Mary to his own home. In calling His mother

Q2. (Hebrews 1:2-3) What about the author's description of the Son makes you think that the Son described is himself divine? I think the description

Q2. (5:5-6) What is the spiritual danger of our demand for comfort and luxury? Riches are a blessing of the Lord.

Q2. (Luke 23:39-43) Why is the thief's faith so astounding in this situation? What did the thief receive that day? What do you think this meant to Jesus? When things are going well it is often easier to have