JAS 3:2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

JAS 3:3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

JAS 3:4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

JAS 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

The following was written by Albert Barnes:

"The design is to show the important position which the tongue occupies, as governing the whole man, and able also to bridle the whole body.  To control his whole body, that is, every other part of himself, as a man does a horse by the bridle.  The word rendered to bridle, means to lead or guide with a bit; then to rein in, to check, to moderate, to restrain.  A man always has complete government over himself if he has the entire control of his tongue.  It is that by which he gives expression to his thoughts and passions; and if that is kept under proper restraint, all the rest of his members are as easily controlled as the horse is by having the control of the bit."

"The meaning of this simple illustration is, that as we control a horse by the bit - though the bit is a small thing - so the body is controlled by the tongue.  He who has a proper control over his tongue can govern his whole body, as he who holds a bridle governs and turns about the horse."

"Behold also the ships.  This illustration is equally striking and obvious.  A ship is a large object.  It seems to be unmanageable by it vastness, and it is also impelled by driving storms.  Yet is is easily managed by a small rudder; and he that has control of that, has control of the ship itself.  So with the tongue.  It is a small member as compared with the body; in its size not unlike the rudder as compared with the ship.  Yet the proper control of the tongue in respect to its influence on the whole man, is not unlike the control of the rudder in its power over the ship."  - Albert Barnes

How much control do you have over your tongue?

JAS 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

People like to believe in works.  They like to think that they can get to heaven by doing good works.  This appeals to the pride of man.  Man always like to think well of himself.  It is a prideful thing to think that the works you do is good enough to satisfy the righteous perfect judgment of a Holy God. 

Many people will try to work their way to heaven by obeying the law.  But understand that you must obey the entire law perfectly. 

God's word says that if you offend in one point, you are guilty of all.  You can follow 99% of the law but the 1% that you offend makes you guilty of all.  You might not have killed anyone, but if you have committed adultery then you are guilty.  Jesus said that even if you look upon a woman with lust you have committed adultery with her in your heart.

Say somehow you have never looked upon the opposite sex with lust.  I would find that hard to believe, but let's say that you have.  You still have to get by the law about lying.  Everyone has told a lie sometime in their life.  And what about coveting.  Have you ever wanted something that was not yours.  To be guilty of the law, it only takes offending one point of the law one time.  You would have to not only obey all the law but you would have to always obey all the law all of the time.  One offence in one point one time is all it takes to make you guilty of all.

Every half honest person must admit that they are guilty and that there is no way to obey all the law. 

That might sound hopeless, and it would be if not for Jesus Christ. 

1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

We are all sinners.  We are all guilty of breaking God's law.  We are unjust.  But Jesus is sinless.  He is perfect.  Jesus never broke the law.  Jesus suffered for our sins.  He was the just dieing for the unjust.  He paid our penalty so that he could bring us to God. 

All that is required is that you believe with a repentant heart and call upon Him to save you. 

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

JAS 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

JAS 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

JAS 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

It seems strange to be  joyful about temptations.  Temptations can cause a lot of damage if we succumb to them.  I for one do not like temptations.  So what is  this being joyful about temptations all about?  It is not the temptation itself that we are to be joyful about.

It is the result of the temptation that should make us joyful.  Verse 3 tells us that the trying of our faith works patience and that this process helps make us perfect.  It makes us complete, more mature in our Christian walk. 

We should be joyful when God lets temptations come because it is a sign that God is working in our life to mature us.  He is working to make us  better Christians. 

And always remember that with the temptation God will always provide a way of escape.  He never lets us be tempted above what we can handle.  You can resist it because He gives you the power to resist it.  Always resist the temptation and keep maturing. 

This process of being tempted and having our faith tried never ends this side of heaven.  No matter how much you have grown, you still have more growing to do.  None of us have arrived yet. 

Be joyful that you are still growing as a Christian,  and that you are still maturing thru this process of resisting temptation.  Keep pressing onward, and keep on growing closer to our Lord and Saviour.

HEB 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

HEB 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

The Old Testament sacrifices of bulls and goats ended when Jesus came and fulfilled what they pictured when He went to the cross.  God does NOT want us to sacrifice animals. 

However, there are different sacrifices that God wants us to make today as New Testament Christians and they are listed in these two verses.

The first one is the sacrifice of praise.  You might say how is that a sacrifice.  If you will notice the sacrifice of praise is to be done continually.  We are to continually use our lips to give thanks to His name.  There is no loophole for I am too busy, or I do not feel like it.  You are to praise His name when you feel like it and when you don't.  You are to praise His name in the good times and in the bad.  You are to praise His name when it is smooth sailing and in the storm.  You must always constantly make an effort to praise His name no matter what, and you are to praise His name if you have time or if you DO NOT have time.  That is what makes it a sacrifice.

The second sacrifice is to do good (verse 16).  Christians do NOT do good works to get saved we are to do good works because we are saved.  Doing good works is going to cost you something.  It is going to cost you your time, it is going to cost you some energy.  You are going to have to do some work.  And in many cases it is going to cost you some money. 

We are to offer God the sacrifices of praise and good works for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

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HEB 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us 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,

The Wherefore is a connecting word that points back to what went before.  It points us back the the great hall of faith chapter. (Chapter 11)  Their witness and example to us is to have an effect upon us.  It should inspire us to lay aside the sin that so easily besets us.  It should inspire us to lay aside the weights of this world.  The witness of their great faith and the example of how they lived even in the face of trial should inspire us to run with patience the race that is set before us.  They give us an example of how NOT to quit when things get tough. 

HEB 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Verse 2 tells us how to run this race.  How can you keep going?  Keep your eyes on Jesus.  Just keep looking to Him when you faith is tried.  Look unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith.  Look to Jesus who even though He despised the shame endured the cross.  He did it for the joy that was set before Him.  He did it because He loves you.  He did it so that you could be saved. 

Since Jesus was willing to suffer the cross for you, you should be willing to suffer a little for His name's sake.  You should keep pressing on in spite of trouble like the heroes of the faith in Chapter 11.

And to do this you need to keep your eyes on Calvary.   

This Chapter is often referred to as the great hall of faith.  A list of men and women is given here and a brief mention of how they had great faith. Take your time to read this summary about some of the great things that were accomplished by faith. 

HEB 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.

HEB 11:34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

HEB 11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

They saw God accomplish great things thru faith, but not everything that happened to them was good. 

HEB 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

HEB 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

Having great faith does not mean comfort, peace, and prosperity in this world right now.  The devil and his world system hate people who have great faith.  We are told in these verses that these people of great faith were treated by the world with cruel mockings, scourgings, and imprisonment.  They were killed by stoning, some were sawn in two, others were slain with the sword.  Some were very poor.  They were destitute wandering about in sheepskins.  They were afflicted and tormented. 

The prosperity preachers don't know what they are talking about.  Great faith does NOT equal peace and prosperity.  Instead great faith brings trials and tribulations.

After showing what the world thinks of those with great faith, God tells us what He thinks about them.

HEB 11:38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

God holds them of great faith in high esteem.  He says that the world was not worthy of them.  What God thinks of you is much more important than what this rotten world thinks about you. 

What a great example of faith we have in this chapter from people of whom the world was not worthy. 

HEB 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Jesus is not just in a few books of the Bible.  Jesus is not just in a majority of the books of the Bible.  Jesus is in the entire volume of the Bible.  The entire volume of the Bible is about Jesus.  Jesus was promised to come in Gen 3:15.  Jesus was pictured as the substitute ram for the offering in Gen Ch. 22.  Jesus is pictured in the Passover in Exodus.  Jesus is pictured in the tabernacle and in all the offerings.  It was Jesus who came and met with Joshua.  Everything in the book has something to do with Jesus.  If you are not seeing Jesus when you are reading the Old Testament, then you are missing the main point. 

The volume of the Bible is written about Jesus. 

HEB 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

The Ark contained 3 items in it and they all pointed to Jesus Christ. 

It contained manna which foreshadowed Christ as the bread of life.  Manna came from heaven.  Jesus is the bread from heaven.  Manna came to the wilderness.  Jesus left His home to enter the wilderness of this world.  Manna was free and salvation thru Jesus is free.  Christ is the true manna and is sufficient to meet needs of all people

The Ark contained the tables of the covenant.  It contained the written Word of God, which is all about Christ.  Jesus is the living Word.  John 1:1-2 & 14. 

The Ark contained Aaron's rod that budded.  The Rod was old dried and dead. No life was in it. God made it not only come to life, but bear fruit. That is a picture of resurrection.  Jesus alone is the resurrection and the life.

John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 

The rod not only had blossoms but it also bore fruit. Christ is the first fruits.

All three items in the Ark were a wonderful picture of Christ.   

HEB 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

HEB 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

In Hebrews the priesthood of Jesus is compared to the Old Testament priesthood of the Levites.  And Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry.  Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant.  It was established upon better promises.  The priest hood of Jesus is superior in every way.  It saddens me that many do not see this.  They try to resurrect the Levitical priesthood and put their faith in that instead of trusting in Jesus and Him alone.  After Jesus came the Old Testament priesthood was done away with.  It's purpose was to be a picture and point to Jesus.  Once Jesus came then there is no more need for the picture.  We have the real thing!

Verse 7 tells us that the Old Testament Covenant was flawed.  It could never do the job.  It could only point to what could.  If that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

If the old covenant could have saved, then Jesus would not have had to come.  But it was flawed.  Jesus had to come to establish a new covenant. 

There is no more need for a flawed priesthood of flawed men.  We have a perfect sinless High Priest in Jesus.

HEB 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

I love the way that this is worded.  "to save them to the uttermost"   The word uttermost is defined as, the greatest, in the most extensive degree.

You cannot be saved any more than to the uttermost.  When God saves you it is to the most extensive degree.  You are completely saved.

This verse tells us who gets saved to the uttermost, "to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him,"  the Him is Jesus.  The only way to be saved is thru Jesus.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  

Being saved to the uttermost is an eternal salvation.  An uttermost salvation must be eternal.  A reason is given in this verse for how He can save to the uttermost, "seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." 

It is because Jesus ever liveth.  He is not dead, He is risen.  He is our advocate sitting on the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.  He will be there tomorrow and next week and next year and forever.  Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us.

We have a wonderful salvation.  We are saved to the most extensive degree.  To the uttermost.  Our salvation cannot be lost and is eternal.  Our salvation is thru Jesus the very Son of God.  And Jesus is risen ever living to make intercession for us.

We should praise the Lord for our salvation. 

HEB 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Sometimes we get tired of doing things for God and not seeing as many results as we would like. 

Sometimes we will get tired of ministering to people who seem to not appreciate it.  The devil will whisper in your ear things like what you are doing is not making a difference, no one cares what you are doing, no one notices, and other such lies. 

If you are involved in ministering to the people of God, you will have low times where you get tired and thoughts like this will come.  This is not only true for Pastors.  Even church members who are trying to be a blessing and a help to others can have these thoughts come up. 

When you are tempted to think that no one notices or cares what you are doing, you need to remember that God notices and He cares.

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

God is pleased when you work for Him.  He is pleased when you are involved in a labor of love for His names sake. 

God will remember each and every single time that you ministered to His saints.  No matter how big a ministry or how small.  God sees it, He notices it, and He will not forget it.  And one day you will be rewarded for it.

So when you get wicked thoughts like quitting trying to be a blessing to others, you need to push that wicked thought out of your mind.  And keep on ministering to others. 

Do not focus on getting recognition from men.  Instead be assured that God sees it and He will reward you for it one day.  

NEVER QUIT MINISTERING TO OTHERS.  Amen.

HEB 5:11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

Is is possible to be saved and yet be dull of hearing?  You bet it is. 

HEB 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Paul is writing to believers who should have grown by now.  He says that by now they ought to be teachers.  But instead of being teachers they are in need of being taught.  In fact they are in need of being taught the basics again. 

What would you think of a little baby that is 6 months old?  You would think how cute and how beautiful.  Right.  On the other hand what would you think of a baby that is the same size as a 6 month old but they are 20 years old?  You would not think how cute.  You would think that this is awful.  You would think why didn't someone do something about it.  You would ask questions like why didn't the parents take him to the doctor when they did not see him growing as he should.  Christians should normally be growing after they get saved.

It is a sad thing, but I see Christians all the time today who have not grown like they should.    People who have been saved for years and they have never read their Bible thru.  Not even once.  Christians will not grow like they should if they are not reading the Bible. 

As a Christian grows he should be not only learning more of the Bible, but he should also be doing more for Christ.  As he grows more he should be witnessing more.  He should be serving more, he should be praying more, and yes he should be giving more.

If you have not been growing like you should, it is an easy thing to fix.

Start by reading the Bible more and praying more.