In the first Christmas greetings in all history, the angel Gabriel gave Mary the news of the soon birth of Jesus. What did Gabriel tell her? (1) She had found grace; (2) she would have a Son; (3) He will be the great God and King.

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God has wonderful plans for His forever people, plans that stretch into a future kingdom. How we need to trust the plans of God! When we belong to Him through Jesus Christ, God isn’t done with us yet. He has future plans for us…plans that are better than we can imagine.

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The church is the one place where unloving partiality should be absent. We are all equal in our need for the forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ. How could any true Christian practice partiality over another? It is antithetical to the gospel, and James calls it out at the beginning of Chapter 2.

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God wants us to know His word, so that we would trust His plan and promises concerning Jesus. The more we look to Him according to His word, the less we will be distracted by lies and fall into despair.

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Are we to hear the word? Yes…but we are also to do what we hear. These things are not in competition against each other; we need both if we are to walk in the spiritual maturity and blessing that God desires for us.

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Although there are many lies about God’s word, as God’s people, we are not to listen. Instead of listening to lies, we are to remain steadfast to the true word of God. In His true word, there is true hope.

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Christians can endure even the worst of temptations thrown at us, providing that our perspective changes. Instead of seeing these times as guaranteed failures and hardships, we see them as opportunities for the grace of God to be magnified.

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If Christians are to emulate the character of Christ, it means we must develop the character of Christ…and that means we require trials. Just like physical exercise results in physical endurance, so do spiritual trials result in spiritual strength. It may seem like eating brussels sprouts at the time, but the end-result is worth it!

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When Jeremiah stood near the temple and preached a message of God’s judgment upon Judah, the people didn’t like it and he was soon put on trial for his very life. His defense was simple: all he did was preach the word of God. If the people didn’t like it, that was their problem. God’s word is God’s word, whether we like it or not.

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It is possible to do God’s will with God’s help. God wants us to live for Him, to do His work…and God makes it possible for us to do it. This is the good news that is contained in the gospel, of which we are reminded as the marvelous book of Hebrews comes to an end.

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