Different, Only the Same

Hello, Hollister Baptist Church! I’m Trent Granger one of your missionaries. We serve in the field of Mexico in the city of Zacatecas. Right now we are currently in the states and got stuck here longer than we had planned due to this COVID-19 thing. But while this all caught most of us by surprise it didn’t catch God by surprise and we know he has a plan amidst all this chaos! 

Your Pastor, Pastor Milot asked me if I would give just a 10-minute devotional for you all. He said he was contacting the missionaries you all support and asking them all to do the same and I thought it was a great idea! So today I have a devotional for you that I will do my best to keep it at 10-minutes!

In our church in Mexico I have had one goal and this is something that I have wanted since the very beginning and I want for the future as well and this is what it is. “For everything, we do to be Gospel-centered!” We want Christ to be the center of every one of our lives. 

I also think this should be the goal of the life of every Christian. I understand that sometimes we need to be reminded of that and I hope this lesson will help you either get centered on Christ in your life or simply remind you of what you’re already doing and be an encouragement to you!

If you have your bibles and would like to follow along I would encourage you to open those bibles to the book of Hebrews and chapter 11. We are going to read verses 32-40. Again that Hebrews 11:32-40. Y’all ready? Ok, let’s begin. The bible says in Hebrews 11 verses 32-40

Hebrews 11:32–40 KJV 1900

And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 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. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had 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. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

We are all familiar with Hebrews Chapter 11, and if your not, it is considered the “Hall of Faith.” A place in the Bible that the Lord gives us amazing examples of Men and Women who displayed amazing acts of Faith. Sometimes we look at this chapter in aww and just think “Wow to only have faith as they had!” 

However, at the end of this awesome chapter, the writer begins speaking in generalities about mostly unknown champions of the faith throughout history. We see in these verses two groups of people. He describes their experiences in two very different ways yet God worked through faith if both groups.

Some of them, the Bible says:

. . . Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 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. 11:33–34)

Yeah! Now that’s what I’m talking about! A kind of faith that gets things done, a kind of faith that shows everybody who’s Boss. And yet, in a completely different reality we see another display of faith through the lives of God’s faithful followers like this:

and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance. . . . And others had 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; (Heb. 11:35–37)

Now, let’s stop there for just a moment. These two groups sound totally different. Yet, both of them are examples of pone thing -faith. God uses both of them to complete His work on earth.

I know what you’re thinking (because I’m thinking the same thing). Lord, please, let me be in that first group. Right? But if we’re honest and we want our lives to be shaped by the Gospel and if your desire is to have God’s will done and accomplished in your life, then you will see how each experience on both sides of the field, accomplish the will of God. In the first group, we see how God showed off His “power” by giving these people what they asked for. In the other, He showed off His “value” by letting them testify that He is better than life.

Of course, we all want to see victories in our lives over the particular situation we are facing. And there is nothing wrong with feeling that way or even asking for that. But, No matter how God decides to answer or bring us through that particular situation, we should want to see the glory of his name supreme overall! Sometimes he does this by conquering and destroying the obstacles in our path. Other times he does it by letting us suffer. But either way, the evidence of the gospel as seen in your life— that is in the life of someone who knows Him—will always succeed at bringing God glory.

1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV 1900

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

God is glorified when our faith produces joyous results, For example when someone that was sick, maybe even had cancer that no one thought they would recover from, get well and recovers completely from their sickness.

And on the other side of the coin. He is also glorified when people die well, declaring a victory superior to them all. Have you ever been with a dying saint or read about a mighty warrior of the faith that when they died people were inspired to live a life that was honoring to God. Why? Because in their death, even in the worst of circumstances, it pointed others to Christ and the gospel.

If our faith leads people to love Jesus, then we know that we are accomplishing God’s will for our lives and our wants are his wants. And that’s what we should want more than anything else in the world!

Conclusion:

None of the Old Testament’s heroes of the faith saw everything come together, receiving all the promises of God, as we read in verse 39. But in Christ, in the gospel, faith has truly found its resting place. If they were living here today, knowing what you know, what do you think their faith would look like? How are you making the circumstances in your life super-charge your actions today, and make you more valiant in your faith?

Faith can result in many different outcomes, but it all starts in the same place. I pray that this lesson will be a blessing to you and encourage you to have more faith for God!

Let’s pray:

Father, thank you for this lesson. Help us all to take it, apply it, and to grow in our faith as to point others to you! We give you all the praise and glory in our lives. In Jesus name, amen.