A Faith for Every Day (Intro)
TEST. TESTY. TESTING. TESTED. • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!
INTRO—
INTRO—
TEST…everyone loves tests! (Right?) In school, I didn’t mind tests…it was the studying, and studying, and studying for the test [like my Father-in-law has too often said…it was all the time he spent studying for his blood test…🥁].
We all recognize that life brings many tests (challenges, difficulties) our way—frequently, daily (day-by-day). Being a follower of Christ does not exempt us from the tests of life…and even brings us another category of tests. Thankfully God speaks to these facts in his word.
I suggest to you today (and throughout the course of this series of messages) that we could (should) see our lives in such a way as: Tests. Testy. Testing. Tested.
Let me explain what I mean…
TEST.
TEST.
[[TEST—(As I have just mentioned) the reality true for every one of us…as people…as Christians; We don’t control whether or not these tests happen.]]
James 1:2–3 “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”
“(The varying) Challenges of daily life”
1 Peter 4:12 “Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you.”
“(We are) Not to be surprised… & God is not picking on you or me.”
2 Timothy 3:1 “But know this: Hard times will come in the last days.”
“Trials of ‘the times’” [The “Culture” (just like Romans 1…) & the culture of the ‘church’ (as indicated in 2 Timothy 3.1-6.)]
1 Corinthians 11:29–30 “For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep.”
“Challenges of sinful choices, actions” [We must be honest that our sin (sinful, bad choices) does bring some trials our way.
John 9:1–3 “As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.”
“Not all challenges, difficulties we face in life have to do with our sin…Challenges God allows (orchestrates) showcase God’s purpose, power, & plan through us (his people).”
TESTY.
TESTY.
[[Sooo, let’s now consider our initial (all too frequent) reaction, response [TESTINESS] to trials (difficulties, challenges) in our lives. God shows us in his word that he is fully aware of our propensities…[AND—for the record—we need to admit them too.] We needn’t beat ourselves up to the point of giving up, leaving the Faith (more about this in a minute), when we respond to the difficulties of life in any of the following ways. It’s how we handle our ‘testiness’ that matters.]]
Matthew 6:34 “Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
WORRY… [[In this verse, and those following here in this section, I would just like us to see the fact that God shows us he fully knows how we tend to react to tests…]]
James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”
DOUBT…
James 1:20 “for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.”
ANGER…
John 14:27 ““Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.”
FEAR…
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.”
SORROW, HURT…
TESTING.
TESTING.
[[A popular word making the rounds today (online, etc.) is DECONSTRUCTION. In one sense, some people in our churches, in light of the hypocrisy they witness…or the challenges of our day (especially culturally), are taking apart their faith—and either abandoning it altogether, or redefining (reconstructing) it in many ways…too often way, way outside the context of biblical truth. These actions are sad, even troubling.
BUT.
Testing our faith. Testing our ‘convictions,’ et al. …(I believe very strongly that…) We have been called to a vigilant examination of our beliefs (convictions)—to be certain [as certain as we can be] that we are standing, we are living, according to the faith ‘once for all delivered to the saints.’]]
Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!”
Tasting is in some part about examining, evaluating, discovering. We learn what foods we like (or don’t) by tasting them; …like coconut, or fried chicken.
1 Peter 2:1–5 “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” [U = v. 3]
Acts 17:10–12 “As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.” [U = v. 11]
Here we see Luke commending a group of people—the Bereans—for eagerly receiving the word AND EXAMINING (learning the truth through the investigative study of what is said/written) the Scriptures to see if what Paul & Silas were teaching was indeed biblical. [[We need to be ‘okay’ with asking, “What does God’s word say about ___________?”; and not merely ‘what has George Whitfield, Adrian Rogers, Tim Keller said God’s word says about _______?’]]
[I believe that we—Christians today (& more personal to us…Christianity in America)—need to prioritize Berean-style discipleship in ALL avenues of biblical understanding and application. AANNND…when we find aspects we have been previously taught which do not line up with timeless, eternal biblical application…we deconstruct (adjust, change) those…with a view to growing in biblical faithfulness…as much as we seek to biblically evaluate teaching in the hear-and-now (& in the future) to be sure we are not derailed (going forward) from honoring our LORD in favor of anything (ANYTHING…ANYTHING!) else.
TESTED.
TESTED.
[[Just like the TESTS—We do not control the TESTEDNESS of our faith; God has ensured that the result (consequence) of a tried, of a faith tested are his to give…AND, I am thankful for what he has promised to his people (us) who endure, persevere!!]]
James 1:4 “And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”
Trials, challenges, difficulties—through which we persevere—result in (bring about…) MATURITY (a grown up, adult; perfectly growing into adulthood) & COMPLETENESS (wholly; the entirety of a thing).
1 Peter 1:6–7 “You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
In this text: FIRST—suffering grief in manifold trials; SECOND—proven (settled; assured of the nature of) character of our faith; THIRD—more valuable than gold (or anything else, really!); FOURTH—Gold is refined by fire (the more refined, the more beautiful, valuable, desirable); FIFTH— ‘refined by fire’ faith…results in (a life of a Christ-follower being given) praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of (especially [specifically] return of) Jesus Christ (our LORD)!
CONCL—
CONCL—
[[As we conclude = the items shown in 1 Peter 1.6-7.]]
As we embark on this series, I am asking us all to examine the challenges (tests, trials, difficulties; causing us hurts, fears, doubts, worries, anger) we encounter as we seek to live our lives as Christ-followers in the following situations:
Facing the Future / Sin (perpetual, hidden) / Mental Health / Relationships / Cultural Challenges (antagonism from, compromise with) / Our Mission & Service (Kingdom Christianity, evangelism, care)
…and put our faith (& how we ‘hold’ [think, believe about it) to the test (investigation, scrutiny) that we may be strengthened (matured, completed) as we continue to live every day looking forward to the day when Jesus returns!
INVITATION:
Salvation
Testy
Testing
You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
