Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephtha; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets.
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.
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.
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.
36 And there were others……
The doctrine of deliverance, as it comes from God needs to be understood more thoroughly, for there are nuances and differences that sometimes occur, and if we do not learn the important lesson of trust in God, some may be in danger of stumbling at what they believe God is supposed to do in certain situations.
First of all, the Bible teaches us that all things work together for the good of those who love God. This does not mean that all things are necessarily good, but they work together as a cohesive whole for the good of the Christian.
Thus, when we read of promises of deliverance in the Bible, we are to understand that it is left solely up to God to administer deliverance as He sees best and in times, ways, methods, and places as He sees fit.
Again, from the Christian’s perspective our faith in God is not that He will deliver us every single time without fail, but that He would always do what is best without fail. This understanding will enable us to put our lives entirely in His hands, so that He can do His good pleasure.
In our first passage, after mentioning several heroes of faith, Paul also mentioned other unsung heroes who may not have gone out in a blaze of glory, but who were just as faithful as the Daniels and Davids of the day.
We may not now know their names, and we might not have a long graphic history of their noble deeds as they stood fearlessly for the truth under fiercest opposition, but in the book of remembrance, their names are emblazoned in faithfulness.
Several passages of scripture must now be observed and understood, in order that persons would harbor balanced views on how deliverance comes from The Lord to His people.
For instance, the passage which says “The angel of The Lord encamps roundabout them that fear Him, and delivers them, does not necessarily mean that in every situation without fail, The Lord will deliver us in accordance with our expectations. Let’s read:
Psalms 34: 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.
That passage should also be balanced with another one which says “All they that live godly in Christ will suffer persecution” so that when the two verses are fused together in our minds, they would make room for the nuances that may occur in certain situations.
Sometimes, you will have to stand like the brave, as David did when facing Goliath the giant but in other situations you may have to run for dear life, as God sees fit. The Christian who has to flee, and the one who is guided by God to stand his ground, are both recipients of God’s deliverance, but with nuances.
Sometimes the protective power of God is displayed in a marked manner, for the deliverance of persons, and at other times, the Christian may be wondering why the omnipotent power God might seem to have come up short.
For instance, in one situation The Lord sent an army of horses of fire, and many angels to fill a mountain as they were commissioned to protect Elisha. But in another instance we see God instructing Joseph and Mary to run for their lives as they fled in the middle of the night from Herod.
Do not be perplexed by these nuances, for it’s just God working out things and situations for the best good of His people. And we are to remember that we are not His only people.
God has many people the world over, so that what perplexed Job, as pertains to deliverance, and the length of time it took for it to be manifested would be of great benefit to other Christians, thousands of years later, who might suffer for a long time in their particular situation.
Sometimes we look at things from the perspective of our little cocoon, and folks might miss the bigger picture entirely, while trapped in our prism. There’s danger of looking at deliverance from God from the very narrow, me only viewpoint.
Deliverance from God often takes into consideration other factors that we may not immediately see, and that’s the reason why it’s imperative that we leave the ways and means, the methods, the timing, and the place entirely up to God, and trust that He will always do that which is in the best interest of His people.
Again, it cannot be reiterated enough, that God is never short on resources, for there are billions if not trillions of angels who wait to do His bidding at any time and in any given place. Let’s read:
Psalms 103:20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
Psalms 68:17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
Revelation 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.
Therefore, it’s never an issue of resources, it has to do with His will being done in varying circumstances according to His good purposes for all of His people.
So yes, there will be times when The Lord chooses to do things differently, as deliverance is concerned, and as such Christians must not allow their feathers to become ruffled if things do not pan out according to our desires, or if God’s deliverance doesn’t match our expectations.
Therefore, there are some important points persons should understand, as it pertains to deliverance, so that when the going gets rough in our day, persons won’t be caught off guard by bitter disappointment, and thereby our faith be severely shaken.
[1] Just because something is definitely good, in and of itself, it does not necessarily mean that it is God’s will that you should do it.
There are good things, and good activities that may be good to do under normal circumstances, but if an unfavorable situation obtains, those same activities should not be done, without God’s direction. We are now living in the new abnormal, and certain good activities that are in the Bible, would need God’s clearance before persons proceed.
For instance, even though preaching is good, and is enjoined in the great commission given by Christ to all Christians, certain topics would need approval from God first, before being presented, and that is because of the very volatile situation that has now obtained in certain places.
So yes, because the Bible says, that “As many as are led by The Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,” preachers would need The Holy Spirit to guide with wisdom and discretion, so as not to inadvertently invite good trouble.
In fact, according to what is written in the Scripture, there are times, and there will be times when God will actually forbid persons to preach, or evangelize in areas where the forces of the enemy are so firmly entrenched, that the preaching of the truth might only invite persecution.
Then, if the preacher or teacher in question were to move forward with that which is inherently good, he may place himself in a compromised position which may require deliverance from God, which The Lord did not originally ordain.
And if that turns out to be the case, the preacher could find himself doing battle with satanic agencies whilst deliverance might not be forthcoming as he expected.
God is more practical and down to earth than many people realize. Therefore, in order to avoid such an unfortunate situation, the Christians in our day will need to pray like never before, when evangelizing in certain places or situations.
In other words, since fools rush in where angels fear to tread, persons would be well advised to pray first, especially in situations where the preacher might encounter stiff opposition, and where the preacher could become an endangered species. Let’s read:
Matthew 10: 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not.
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Acts 20: 7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
16 For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there.
24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 21: 2 And finding a ship sailing over to Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth.
4 And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.
11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus, saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owns this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
30 And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.
31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
32 Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.
[19LTMS MS 29, 1904 par. 6] God does not require His children to remain where, by the course of wicked men, their influence is made of no effect and their lives endangered.
When liberty and life are imperiled, it is not merely our privilege, it is our positive duty to go to places where the people are willing to hear the word of life and where the opportunities for preaching the Word will be more favorable.
This does not mean that God will never ever send a preacher or teacher into enemy territory; all God is saying to us is just make sure that He sent you, and you did not presume to go of your own volition.
He sent Elijah, and He sent Moses and Aaron but He also provided protection to meet the emergency as they went upon satan’s enchanted ground. Again, it is not in every situation where God definitely sent a preacher, that he would escape unscathed.
All we are saying by the grace of God is that if that turns out to be the case, at least the preacher will have the assurance that he did not place himself in harm’s way unbidden, and this very fact would be as an assurance and strength to suffer for Christ’s sake.
Several instances in the life of Christ do illustrate the grave importance of being sent by God, so that we would not unnecessarily imperil life and thereby, cut our work short, as did Paul.
This particular temptation, with all its catastrophic consequences, if yielded to, nipped at the heels of Jesus constantly, as the devil sought to thwart the plan of salvation in various ways and through many different agencies. Let’s read:
Matthew 11:2 Now when John had heard in prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
As was stated before in a previous Bible study, John was probably wondering why Jesus did not come to look for him in prison, seeing that He was his cousin and he had been faithful in the execution of duty. In fact, the Bible mentions prison visits particularly, as The Lord tallies the numbers of the faithful. Let’s read:
Matthew 25: 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
So yes, there is even a Scriptural basis for Jesus to have visited John, and therefore, the question is: Why didn’t Jesus go? The answer is as simple as it gets, for Jesus was neither sent, or directed by The Father to go, even though it is a good thing. Let’s read:
It must be observed here that going to look for John in prison would have been a good thing, especially because he was thrown in jail for speaking the truth. But we should always remember that just because something is good, does not necessarily mean that it is God’s will that you do it, or you go there. Let’s read:
[The Desire of Ages pp 216] John would not discuss his doubts and anxieties with his companions. He determined to send a message of inquiry to Jesus.
This he entrusted to two of his disciples, hoping that an interview with the Savior would confirm their faith, and bring assurance to their brethren. And he longed for some word from Christ spoken directly for himself.
The disciples came to Jesus with their message, “Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another?” The Savior did not at once answer the disciples’ question. As they stood wondering at His silence, the sick and afflicted were coming to Him to be healed.
[The Desire of Ages pp 224] Gladly would the Savior have come to John, to brighten the dungeon gloom with His own presence. But He was not to place Himself in the hands of enemies and imperil His own mission.
Visiting John was a good thing no doubt, but to do so without God’s permission would be presumption, even though it was a good thing to do, and because of this fact, deliverance from any potential dangers would not be guaranteed.
In fact, if Jesus had gone to visit John, without a first clearance from The Father, He could have been put into a compromised situation where He might have been tempted to deliver Himself, by using His own inherent power, and had He done so He would have brought the plan of salvation to a screeching halt.
The temptation that satan hounded Christ with from the cradle to the grave, was to use His own inherent power without authorization from The Father, even if it was to do something good.
If Christ had once done so He would be immediately disqualified from being man’s representative, for we cannot exercise such power of ourselves, for we just do not possess miraculous power naturally, and as such, Jesus would be exercising an advantage over fallen man.
There is nothing such as new temptations, for there are only three categories of temptations for satan to choose from, and what he often does is to recycle the same temptation over and over again, bringing it in from different angles and perspectives, but at the end of the day, it is the same temptation.
Here it is again, as he tempts Jesus to employ His supernatural power to deliver Himself from pangs of hunger. It was not a temptation to smoke weed, it was a temptation to make bread, something that is in and of itself very good. In fact, it was Christ who in one instance prayed: “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Thus, the devil would spin the same old temptation in different ways, but his sole object was always the same, that was, to tempt Jesus to employ His Divine power without prior authorization from The Father.
Several of these instances will now be pointed out, so that the you and me in the here and now would know what we are up against, and the reason why we must learn the all-important lesson of trusting in God’s deliverance, while at the same time avoiding the prevalent sin of presumption. Let’s read:
Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and sets him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Matthew 27:39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
40 And saying, Thou that destroys the temple, and builds it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
Mark 15: 32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
John 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.
3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
4 For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeks to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.
6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is always ready.
8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come.
Now brethren, please consider carefully what Jesus is saying and the implications of His response. When He says “My time is not yet come” Jesus is no doubt referring to His death on Calvary, and thus The Lord is implying that by going up to Jerusalem before the appointed time given by The Father, He would cut His ministry short.
Now, going up to Jerusalem was not a bad thing in and of itself. This was not an invitation for Him to go see Beyonce or Jay Z, it was an invitation for Him to go to church, which in and of itself is a good thing.
But even going to church must be in line with The Father’s will, for once upon a time Jesus did go to church, but were it not for the interposition of The Father in causing Him to vanish into thin air, that could have been the last time He went to church. Let’s read:
Luke 4: 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way.
Furthermore, If Jesus was to presume to go up to Jerusalem before the time appointed by The Father, satan no doubt, would have sought to create such a compromised situation involving risks, that would tempt Jesus to use His own power independently to deliver Himself, and if Jesus were to do so, the plan of salvation would go up in smoke.
In fact, in the instance currently under consideration Christ was actually planning to go up to church, but for Him, there’s a right time to go even if it is a good thing. Very many temptations which often occur in the Chistian’s everyday experiences consist of good temptations. Consider it prayerfully. Let’s read:
Mark 15:9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
10 But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
Here again is the same temptation being recycled as the devil tempts Christ to presumption by using His Divine power, independent of The Father. It is the same old, same old. Let’s read:
[Desire of Ages, pp 729] Herod questioned Christ in many words but throughout the Savior maintained a profound silence. At the command of the king, the decrepit and maimed were then called in, and Christ was ordered to prove His claims by working a miracle.
Men say that Thou canst heal the sick, said Herod. I am anxious to see that your widespread fame has not been belied. Jesus did not respond, and Herod still continued to urge: If Thou canst work miracles for others, work them now for Thine own good.
And it will serve Thee a good purpose. Again, he commanded, show us a sign that Thou hast the power with which rumor hath accredited Thee. But Christ was as one who heard and saw not.
The Son of God had taken upon Himself man's nature. He must do as man must do in like circumstances. Therefore, He would not work a miracle to save Himself the pain and humiliation that man must endure when placed in a similar position.
Again, the issue of trusting in God’s deliverance with all of the nuances and differences that may occur at times, is a subject that Christians in our day ought to carefully consider, for deliverance comes in different shapes and sizes.
Sometimes deliverance comes in a stark manner as the power of God is displayed in fire and brimstone upon those who seek to do the Christian harm, but at other times deliverance comes as the Christian is instructed to run for dear life. Both types come from God. Let’s read:
Matthew 2:12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt.
15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
1st Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
[Prophets & Kings pp 120>121] At the palace he solicited no admission, nor waited to be formally announced. Clad in the coarse garments usually worn by the prophets of that time, he passed the guards, apparently unnoticed, and stood for a moment before the astonished king.
Elijah made no apology for his abrupt appearance. A Greater than the ruler of Israel had commissioned him to speak; and, lifting his hand toward heaven, he solemnly affirmed by the living God that the judgments of the Most-High were about to fall upon Israel.
We are living at a time where persons who speak the truth could be targeted in various ways, and the book of Revelation tells us that as the inhabitants of earth become more averse to truth, the risks would also increase to those who preach present truth.
The prophecies which predict the soon coming of Christ, and the end of the world as we know it, do not jive with current agendas that are adopted by many persons in high and low places, therefore, it will require wisdom and prudence born of God, to preach the truth without watering it down for any self-preservation reason.
Most importantly, it may become necessary for The Lord to send His servants into enemy territory, for as was stated before, the preachers must not presume to go, just because the preaching of unadulterated truth is inherently a good thing.
Therefore, the Christian must cultivate the humble and teachable spirit manifested by our brethren in days gone by, meaning that at times, God may tell us to stand our ground, while in other instances, we may be instructed to run and hide.
Let earnest prayer for God’s wisdom, guidance, and direction be lifted up often, so that whatsoever we do and wheresoever the preacher might be sent, it would be at God’s command solely.
This will call for a humble spirit that is willing to be led by The Spirit of God in all things, and even as for the time being, we are still afforded opportunities to disseminate truth beside all waters, we should bear in mind that rapid changes are on the way, and thus, we should be willing and ready to make adaptations to strategies wherever necessary as The Spirit leads.
Faith in God does not dispense with real to life facts on the ground, but it is not intimidated by enemies of truth, once God has sent us. Let us therefore be ready to stand like the brave, or flee to another city as God might direct, because, as many as are led by The Spirt of God, they are the sons of God.
We therefore end with a passage of Scripture that would help us to keep these truths in view, as we’re heading into unchartered territory, for the last days of earth’s history may be at our doorstep. Let’s read:
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
God Bless!