Coffee With The Lord

The walk of faith is filled with adventure, with excitement, with miracles and victories! But what happens when things don’t turn out like we desire or expect them to? What happens when we face setbacks and disappointments? What happens when someone even dies without the fulfillment of what they believe God promised?

There are those who claim with great fanfare and apparent confidence that with enough faith a person should never suffer a financial setback, always enjoy prosperity, never be sick and if sick always be healed, never suffer defeat and always experience victory, never be persecuted and always prevail! … Sorry! Life doesn’t work that way and according to the last part of Hebrews 11 – the great faith chapter – neither does faith. If fact, the chapter seems to declare that faith is what sustains believers through difficulties, disappointments, and disaster! Here’s what it says… right out of the Bible, God’s word!

“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated — of whom the world was not worthy — wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. AND ALL THESE, THOUGH COMMENDED THROUGH THEIR FAITH, DID NOT RECEIVE WHAT WAS PROMISED, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:35–40 ESV)

So here is my encouragement to you… If your faith is being sorely tested right now… Don’t give up! Don’t abandon your faith! Your faith is what will sustain you in and through the testing time! Remember what the passage that precedes Hebrews 11 said?

“Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. THEREFORE DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR CONFIDENCE, WHICH HAS A GREAT REWARD! FOR YOU HAVE NEED OF ENDURANCE, SO THAT WHEN YOU HAVE DONE THE WILL OF GOD YOU MAY RECEIVE WHAT IS PROMISED! (Hebrews 10:32–36 ESV)

I love “anointed” preaching, don’t you? And by that I mean the proclamation of God’s word that bears the unmistakable imprint and impulse of the Holy Spirit.

This morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” I read the account of Peter’s “anointed” sermon in Acts on the “Day of Pentecost.” (Acts 2:14-41) It was a spontaneous (i.e. extemporaneous), Holy Spirit prompted, prophetic message from God, delivered without manuscript or notes…

Here’s just a brief, brief outline of its contents taken from the Acts account…

“Peter, standing with the eleven (apostles) lifted up his voice and addressed the crowd: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. These people (those who had just been ‘baptized in the Holy Spirit and were speaking in tongues’) are not drunk, as you suppose… But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…” (and then Peter used Joel 2:28-32 as his primary text)…

Then Peter proclaimed Christ to his audience – His life, His ministry, His death, burial and resurrection! He finished by saying “This Jesus God raised up… Bing therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing! … God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified!”

The result? The Bible says, “When they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘What shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! For the promise is for you, and for your children, and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself … Save yourselves from this crooked generation!’ … So, those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls!”

Yup, I love “anointed” – Holy Spirit empowered preaching! I want to hear more of it! I want to do more of it!

“Etcetera” (or “etc.” for short) … Webster says it indicates “a list of unspecified additional items.”

As the writer of Hebrews approaches the end of chapter 11 – the “Walk of Faith” chapter – after he has introduced each “case study” in faith with the words, “By faith” – he goes on to say… “And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of…” And then what follows is a kind of mind boggling, faith expanding, miracle producing, “etcetera” (or “etc.” for short).

“By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets (just to name a few) — who through faith…

• conquered kingdoms…
• enforced justice…
• obtained promises…
• stopped the mouths of lions…
• quenched the power of fire…
• escaped the edge of the sword…
• were made strong out of weakness…
• became mighty in war…
• put foreign armies to flight…
• Women received back their dead by resurrection…” (from Hebrews 11:28-35a)

Wow! The possibilities of “walking by faith!” ETCETERA! Think about it… what God can do when we put our trust in Him! “ALL THINGS are possible to the person who believes!” (Matthew 19:26; Luke 18:27)