NO MORE A STRANGER
The 11th chapter of the Book of Hebrews lists what we commonly call the Faith Hall of Fame. It chronicles those in the Old Testament, before or under the Old Covenant (The Mosaic Law) who held onto their faith against the odds. They faced extreme challenges--and not everyone was named according to verse 32, but their faith was counted to them as righteousness (Romans 4:3).
Often, in the midst of suffering and trials, we want to know, "Why?" We especially ask this question if we have served God to the best of our ability according to all that we know, given our substance, shared our gifts and talents within the Body of Christ only to find ourselves persecuted, mocked, struggling, sick or suffering loss. We have been told over and over that if we have faith, God will always deliver us from these things--in fact, many have said they will not happen to the child of God who has faith. I'm not sure where that leaves this "great cloud of witnesses" [Hebrews 12:1]. The Hall of Famers' specialized in suffering "according to the will of God" [1 Peter 4:12-19]. Remember Moses as he led God's people to the Promised Land (which he didn't get to enter, only to view) making a stop in Rephidim--where "there was no water for the people to drink" [Exodus 17:1]. It was according to the "commandment of the Lord". Not only was there no water in Rephidim, but Amalek came against them there, too. Already weakened, and now embattled. Isn't that how trials come--piled one on top of another? Before you can get out of one mess, you are caught in another?
God was with Moses. He chose him for this purpose--to guide a stubborn, murmuring, complaining people out of Egypt knowing they would look back and long for the familiar darkness of Egypt. They didn't have faith in God, yet (many never got it). They were like so many of us, who follow for the "fishes and the loaves". They followed for the Red Sea deliverances, the pass over's, the miracles. Moses had a lot to contend with, but faith in God sustained Him. It's when we get beyond the miracles and see God that we begin to understand why it's worthwhile to endure and run the race, with patience. It didn't look like God was with Moses, that's why they complained--they said he had brought them out into the wilderness to die! How quickly we forget what God has delivered us from when the journey becomes uncomfortable--it is a step by step progression; not all at once or all-or-nothing. He knows what it takes to develop and mold us into mature saints, and so the fire gets turned up--God allows that buffeting and friction to polish us. We need it, but we reject it--many say it is not of God. True it isn't of His design, but it is of His purpose.
Moses and the other witnesses chose faith in God, esteeming "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward." They all looked toward the cross--the longed for Messiah; and the hope of His deliverance is why they suffered, faithfully. That faith counted--it wasn't dismissed because Christ had not yet come; God honored it [Romans 4:3,4]. Imagine, they suffered all of these things--"trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 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; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth" without benefit of the Comforter living within them. The Spirit of God sometimes rested upon them, but He didn't reside in them as He does in us.
Since we have the Comforter in us, should we not be able to endure faithfully? If these ordinary men and women of old simply believed God, could endure because God was with them, why can't we endure when God is in us? Why do we need to be so comfortable in a strange land? This is not the place of our refreshing, our hope; we are not home. The only Kingdom of God on this earth is the spiritual one within us. Kingdom living has nothing to do with physical comfort. God's people exist in a world that is marred by sin and all of its effects--just like everyone else. Bad things will happen to us, too. Our physical bodies begin dying as soon as we are born--that is the nature of life ever since sin entered. Should we care for our "temples" to the best of our ability? Absolutely! Assuming, however, that God is obligated to keep us from all sickness and disease while we are in this world is nonsensical and unscriptural. Many Christians have forgotten what death is to the child of God. It is "precious" in the sight of the Lord [Psalm 116:15]. It is not faithless when a saint of God is ready to go and be with Jesus--that is what we are "living" for. Aren't we living to live again? Far too many of us are setting up permanent abodes right here, without much thought for our spiritual life. Many have begun to teach that God wants us to have the best of everything--in this life. It doesn't fit into the context of His Word, though.
That cloud of witnesses that endured so faithfully are listed for us, as examples. They show us that not only can the God-Man Jesus Christ endure the cross, but men and women just like us--those who had issues and failures can be living testaments, too. They weren't super-human or super-holy. I don't know anything negative about Abel and Enoch, but we can be assured that they weren't perfect--because they couldn't save mankind. We do know, Noah got drunk after witnessing God's mighty power to save. Abraham with all of his faith struggled with telling the truth, at times (and even prompted Sarah to lie). Thank God for overlooking faults and seeing faith and counting it greater than our weaknesses! Sarah laughed at the promise of God because of her doubt--at first; God is so faithful. He doesn't reject doubters, He builds faith in them; otherwise there may not have been a Pentecost [Matthew 28:17]. Isaac was a liar, too--he told the same lie as Abraham, and he wasn't the best parent. Jacob was a deceiver--and worse, cheated his own brother out of everything; and today, we would say he emotionally abused Leah, his first wife. Joseph's bragging got him sold into Egypt, where he spent time in jail, then lived the lifestyle of Egyptians (the rich and famous--and occultic) and married the daughter of an Egyptian priest. Moses was timid and stuttered, Rahab ran a brothel, Gideon was filled with fear, and didn't know who he was when the "Angel of the Lord" came to Him. Barak refused to go against Sisera as the Lord had commanded, unless Deborah with with him. Samson, the strong man fell prey to Delilah--the same weakness many men can attest to. Sin damages the anointing--sometimes, irreparably. Jephthah was the illegimate son of a whore--the product of his father's adultery. Jephthah's brother's hated him and cast him out as trash and he ended up hanging around with bunch of troublemaker's. David was like Samson and Jephthah's father--sometimes ruled by his lusts. David committed murder to cover up his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba after he impregnated her. (The Bible starts to read like an episode of a soap opera, in places). Samuel, who was the prophet, "mourned for Saul" after God rejected him and then feared for his life when God sent him to seek a new king [1 Kings 16:1,2]; then as soon as he saw Eliab assumed he was God's choice--judging as a man judges. You know why God uses imperfect people? Because it's not about the people--it's about HIM. When He is in the problem, the person, the situation--everything changes. If he used perfect people, they would get the glory. The way God does it, it is obviously God's Hand and power that made the victory possible. It's how we can tell some people are not God's choice but man's choice, too. God just chooses, differently than we do. He will choose the opposite of what seems logical to us. That's when He is glorified.
The prophets are mentioned too, but not listed individually--but none of them were perfect either. Remember Jonah running in the opposite direction trying to get as far from Nineveh as possible, because of his hatred of the Ninevites? Or, Elijah having a pity party in a cave hiding from Jezebel or thinking he was the only one of God's prophets left. Or Jeremiah, always crying and lamenting. Or harsh Haggai; Zechariah had the same message but a delivery that was more acceptable. Or Isaiah who was completely wrapped up in Uzziah--instead of God? They were just like us--no super power. In fact, they had less power than we have. Yet, these strangers and pilgrims navigated their ways through this foreign territory to that perfect place of rest--they are no more strangers.
What about us? How will we navigate this foreign land? Will we adapt to it or will we be tent-dweller's ready to move with the "cloud" of the Holy Spirit? Are we too permanently etched in place to move when God says "move". Do we really look for that blessed hope, or are we gripping tightly to this "life"? Are we strangers and aliens or are we residents?
Don't panic at discomfort--it's natural to be uncomfortable when you don't fit in--when you're a stranger.
Often, in the midst of suffering and trials, we want to know, "Why?" We especially ask this question if we have served God to the best of our ability according to all that we know, given our substance, shared our gifts and talents within the Body of Christ only to find ourselves persecuted, mocked, struggling, sick or suffering loss. We have been told over and over that if we have faith, God will always deliver us from these things--in fact, many have said they will not happen to the child of God who has faith. I'm not sure where that leaves this "great cloud of witnesses" [Hebrews 12:1]. The Hall of Famers' specialized in suffering "according to the will of God" [1 Peter 4:12-19]. Remember Moses as he led God's people to the Promised Land (which he didn't get to enter, only to view) making a stop in Rephidim--where "there was no water for the people to drink" [Exodus 17:1]. It was according to the "commandment of the Lord". Not only was there no water in Rephidim, but Amalek came against them there, too. Already weakened, and now embattled. Isn't that how trials come--piled one on top of another? Before you can get out of one mess, you are caught in another?
God was with Moses. He chose him for this purpose--to guide a stubborn, murmuring, complaining people out of Egypt knowing they would look back and long for the familiar darkness of Egypt. They didn't have faith in God, yet (many never got it). They were like so many of us, who follow for the "fishes and the loaves". They followed for the Red Sea deliverances, the pass over's, the miracles. Moses had a lot to contend with, but faith in God sustained Him. It's when we get beyond the miracles and see God that we begin to understand why it's worthwhile to endure and run the race, with patience. It didn't look like God was with Moses, that's why they complained--they said he had brought them out into the wilderness to die! How quickly we forget what God has delivered us from when the journey becomes uncomfortable--it is a step by step progression; not all at once or all-or-nothing. He knows what it takes to develop and mold us into mature saints, and so the fire gets turned up--God allows that buffeting and friction to polish us. We need it, but we reject it--many say it is not of God. True it isn't of His design, but it is of His purpose.
Moses and the other witnesses chose faith in God, esteeming "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward." They all looked toward the cross--the longed for Messiah; and the hope of His deliverance is why they suffered, faithfully. That faith counted--it wasn't dismissed because Christ had not yet come; God honored it [Romans 4:3,4]. Imagine, they suffered all of these things--"trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 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; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth" without benefit of the Comforter living within them. The Spirit of God sometimes rested upon them, but He didn't reside in them as He does in us.
Since we have the Comforter in us, should we not be able to endure faithfully? If these ordinary men and women of old simply believed God, could endure because God was with them, why can't we endure when God is in us? Why do we need to be so comfortable in a strange land? This is not the place of our refreshing, our hope; we are not home. The only Kingdom of God on this earth is the spiritual one within us. Kingdom living has nothing to do with physical comfort. God's people exist in a world that is marred by sin and all of its effects--just like everyone else. Bad things will happen to us, too. Our physical bodies begin dying as soon as we are born--that is the nature of life ever since sin entered. Should we care for our "temples" to the best of our ability? Absolutely! Assuming, however, that God is obligated to keep us from all sickness and disease while we are in this world is nonsensical and unscriptural. Many Christians have forgotten what death is to the child of God. It is "precious" in the sight of the Lord [Psalm 116:15]. It is not faithless when a saint of God is ready to go and be with Jesus--that is what we are "living" for. Aren't we living to live again? Far too many of us are setting up permanent abodes right here, without much thought for our spiritual life. Many have begun to teach that God wants us to have the best of everything--in this life. It doesn't fit into the context of His Word, though.
That cloud of witnesses that endured so faithfully are listed for us, as examples. They show us that not only can the God-Man Jesus Christ endure the cross, but men and women just like us--those who had issues and failures can be living testaments, too. They weren't super-human or super-holy. I don't know anything negative about Abel and Enoch, but we can be assured that they weren't perfect--because they couldn't save mankind. We do know, Noah got drunk after witnessing God's mighty power to save. Abraham with all of his faith struggled with telling the truth, at times (and even prompted Sarah to lie). Thank God for overlooking faults and seeing faith and counting it greater than our weaknesses! Sarah laughed at the promise of God because of her doubt--at first; God is so faithful. He doesn't reject doubters, He builds faith in them; otherwise there may not have been a Pentecost [Matthew 28:17]. Isaac was a liar, too--he told the same lie as Abraham, and he wasn't the best parent. Jacob was a deceiver--and worse, cheated his own brother out of everything; and today, we would say he emotionally abused Leah, his first wife. Joseph's bragging got him sold into Egypt, where he spent time in jail, then lived the lifestyle of Egyptians (the rich and famous--and occultic) and married the daughter of an Egyptian priest. Moses was timid and stuttered, Rahab ran a brothel, Gideon was filled with fear, and didn't know who he was when the "Angel of the Lord" came to Him. Barak refused to go against Sisera as the Lord had commanded, unless Deborah with with him. Samson, the strong man fell prey to Delilah--the same weakness many men can attest to. Sin damages the anointing--sometimes, irreparably. Jephthah was the illegimate son of a whore--the product of his father's adultery. Jephthah's brother's hated him and cast him out as trash and he ended up hanging around with bunch of troublemaker's. David was like Samson and Jephthah's father--sometimes ruled by his lusts. David committed murder to cover up his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba after he impregnated her. (The Bible starts to read like an episode of a soap opera, in places). Samuel, who was the prophet, "mourned for Saul" after God rejected him and then feared for his life when God sent him to seek a new king [1 Kings 16:1,2]; then as soon as he saw Eliab assumed he was God's choice--judging as a man judges. You know why God uses imperfect people? Because it's not about the people--it's about HIM. When He is in the problem, the person, the situation--everything changes. If he used perfect people, they would get the glory. The way God does it, it is obviously God's Hand and power that made the victory possible. It's how we can tell some people are not God's choice but man's choice, too. God just chooses, differently than we do. He will choose the opposite of what seems logical to us. That's when He is glorified.
The prophets are mentioned too, but not listed individually--but none of them were perfect either. Remember Jonah running in the opposite direction trying to get as far from Nineveh as possible, because of his hatred of the Ninevites? Or, Elijah having a pity party in a cave hiding from Jezebel or thinking he was the only one of God's prophets left. Or Jeremiah, always crying and lamenting. Or harsh Haggai; Zechariah had the same message but a delivery that was more acceptable. Or Isaiah who was completely wrapped up in Uzziah--instead of God? They were just like us--no super power. In fact, they had less power than we have. Yet, these strangers and pilgrims navigated their ways through this foreign territory to that perfect place of rest--they are no more strangers.
What about us? How will we navigate this foreign land? Will we adapt to it or will we be tent-dweller's ready to move with the "cloud" of the Holy Spirit? Are we too permanently etched in place to move when God says "move". Do we really look for that blessed hope, or are we gripping tightly to this "life"? Are we strangers and aliens or are we residents?
Don't panic at discomfort--it's natural to be uncomfortable when you don't fit in--when you're a stranger.
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