#1 LEARN TO IDENTIFY AND THRIVE IN THE TEST!
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This lesson one and will be done in several sittings, there is a lesson two, of two more parts.
I. DO YOU REALIZE GOD DOES HIS BEST WORK IN THE TESTING PROCESS?
A. WE OFTEN HEAR QUESTIONS LIKE:
WHY ARE WE TESTED?
HOW LONG WILL THIS TEST LAST?
WHY DO PEOPLE DREAD TESTS?
B. WHO WINS IN THE TEST OF A HAMMER AND A BIG ANVIL?
WHY?
C. TEST:
Examination, observation, to try
Basis for evaluation,
To submit to procedures to prove or disprove
Criteria
A way to measure skills, knowledge, understanding, aptitudes
D. TRIAL
Examination of matters and issues
A test of FAITH patience or stamina
To investigate how well something works
Tryout
To test the ability
To what one is capable of
E. CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE VALUE OF TESTING?
KJV
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
F. CAN WE IDENTIFY ---- THIS IS A TEST? THIS IS ONLY A TEST?
NIV
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
G. WILL WE LEARN TO EXPECT TESTS?
Living
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts.
H. WILL WE EVER LEARN TO THRIVE IN THE TESTS?
Messsage
Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about;
II. LORD TRY MY REIGNS!
A. There are three words that sound alike:
1. Rain --- water falling from the sky
2. Reign --- a king’s authority and rule.
3. Rein--- A strap fastened to a bit that the driver gains and keeps control
A restraining influence
A guiding power --- to control
To check or to stop or to slow up by gaining control
Jeremiah 11:20 But, O Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have
Jeremiah 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. I revealed
my cause.
B. Lord, I willingly yield and submit to Your Divine Plan and Control. God, we realize there is only one way to LET YOU REIN OUR HEARTS, THAT IS TO PASS THE TEST OF SUBMISSION.
III. WE LIKEN TESTING AS UNTO A FIRE ... FIRE IMPROVES THE VALUE!
A. We understand the process of refinement?
Improvements
To free from impurities or unwanted materials
To free from moral imperfections
To improve by pruning
To separate dirt and worthlessness
Malachi 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
B. I am told in Biblical refinement that the master refiner knew the gold or silver was pure when he could see a perfect reflection of his face in the
silver or gold.
C. FROM $35 TO $125,000 JUST BECAUSE OF THE FIRE? HEAT EXPOSURE?
I am told something about the refiners process...
Take a small bar of pig iron and it will be worth $35.00
Put the same amount of metal back in the fire, and work it and it will become two horse shoes worth $60.
Take the horse shoes back to the fire and the same metal will now be worth $350 of sewing needles.
Apply more heat and submit it to the refinery process and now the same metal is worth $2,500 in penknife blades.
Lets take it to the fire one more time and make watch springs and now we have around $125,000 value.
1 Cor. 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
IV. THE TREE TEST?
CLEAN WINDOWS CAN MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE.
A. Did you hear about the lady that told all the neighbors around her the neighbor directly behind her house had dirty, dingy clothes on her clothes line.
B. One spring day the lady’s husband washed her windows and the next day the
neighbor washed her clothes and they were so much clearer?
Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
V. THE LOOK BACK TEST? PERSISTENCE? PERSEVERANCE? CONTINUANCE? OFTEN WHAT WE CALL ADVERSITY --- GOD CALLS OPPORTUNITY
A. What we call tribulation --- God calls growth potential.
Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
B. DON’T FORGET IT IS NOT AN ISSUE OF THE EYE ALONE ---
THE PROBLEM OF THE HEART IS THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM.
Luke 17:32 Remember Lot’s wife.
VI. THE TEST OF DELAY --- WAIT A WHILE ...
A. GOD HEARD DANIEL ON DAY ONE!
WHY THE DELAY?
Daniel 10:12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God,
thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
B. 21 DAY TEST OF FAITH AND PATIENCE.
Daniel 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
C. LAZARUS --- WAS SICK?
NO LAZARUS IS DEAD!
John 11:17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.
D. Abraham had to wait 20 long barren years...
Joseph had 13 years of waiting ---
VII. THE TEST OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS...
A. We call them the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions.
1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
B. God’s rules are for your best interest.
VIII. THE TEST OF LOVE AND HATE?
A. I USED TO THINK MORE PEOPLE WOULD BE IN HELL FOR LYING AND SEXUAL SIN --- NOW I THINK MORE WILL BE IN HELL FOR NOT PASSING THE LOVE TEST.
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
B. IT IS EASY TO DISGUISE HATRED AND UNFORGIVENESS BEHIND MANY OTHER MASK.
1 John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
IX. HOW ABOUT THE WORD AND THE FRUIT TEST?
A. Few people ever learn the POWER OF THE TONGUE AND THE POTENTIAL OF DEADLY POISON HID IN THE WORDS WE SPEAK.
Matthew 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words
thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth
forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
B. DO YOUR WORDS MATCH YOUR FRUITS?
Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
X. DO WE UNDERSTAND THE TESTS OF THE STORMS?
Matthew 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
A. THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF STORMS THAT WILL TEST US IN LIFE...
1. RAIN --- frequent , little,
2. FLOODS --- accumulative power of rains.
Floods have a suggestion of building
3. WINDS --- you have to hide in a shelter, come out, count the cost and repair
and correct.
B. THE STORMS WILL TEST OUR FOUNDATION CHOICES:
1. SAND
2. ROCK
XI. THE MANNA TEST OF YIELDING AND FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS ---
A. DO YOU UNDERSTAND AN OMER? IT IS ABOUT A QUART?
Exodus 16:4 Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
B. SOME TEST ARE EASY AND WE MAKE THEM HARD!
C. I once asked on a sixth grade history test:
WHAT COLOR WAS GEORGE WASHINGTON’S WHITE HORSE, AND A GIRL CAME UP TO MY DESK AND SAID, MR. HUGHES WE HAVE NOT STUDIED ABOUT HIS HORSE?
Exodus 16:20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth
with them.
XII. THERE IS ANOTHER LEFTOVER TEST?
A. IN A ZOOLOGY CLASS IN COLLEGE I WAS GIVEN A COCOON OF A BUTTERFLY.
I WAIT MANY DAYS AND I FINALLY SAW THE NEW BUTTERFLY STARTING IT’S PROCESS OF COMING OUT OF THE COCOON.
IT WAS HAVING SUCH GREAT DIFFICULTY, I DECIDED TO HELP IT.
I cut the thick cocoon and slowly loosened it from my butterfly.
The butterfly never flew.
B. My instructor told me the hard process of emerging from the cocoon pressed fluid in the extremities of it’s wings and without the resistance and release
it would die.
Judges 3:1 Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
Judges 3:4 And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers
by the hand of Moses.
XIII. WE MUST FACE THE TEST OF FAITH, WILL I BELIEVE AND TRUST GOD?
A. YOU HAVE TOO MANY? WHAT? HOW CAN YOU HAVE TOO MANY?
WILL WE TRUST THE ARM OF THE FLESH...
Judges 7:2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt
themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
B. 32,000 MINUS 22,000 = 10,000
10,000 MINUS 9,700 = 300
Judges 7:4 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that
of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same
shall not go.
XIV. THERE IS A GREAT TEST OF FEAR ...
A. Peter is show boating, show off ---
Looses his focus.
Matthew 14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
B. FEAR IS DOUBT AND A LACK OF TRUST...
Deut. 20:1 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against
your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
4 For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
C. FEAR IS CONTAGIOUS AND EFFECTS OTHERS...
Deut. 20:8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return
unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.
XV. THE TEST OF MAKE ME A CAKE FIRST ---
A. FAITH ESTABLISHES A PRIORITY SYSTEM
1 Kings 17:13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for
thee and for thy son.
B. FAITH GIVES AND TRUST GOD FOR THE REST.
C. DON’T EAT THE SEED CORN!
XVI. CAN WE PASS THE WEIGHT TESTS?
A. I HATE SCALES? I DON’T LIKE TO BE WEIGHED?
Daniel 5:25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered
thy kingdom, and finished it. 27 Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
B. THE KING FAILED THE TEST WHEN HE BROUGHT THE GOLD VESSELS TO HIS PARTY.
XVII. THERE IS COMING A GREAT, GREAT TEST?
A. STUDY AND BE PREPARED FOR THE TEST.
Jeremiah 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou
trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?
B. HEAVEN IS A PREPARED PLACE FOR A PREPARED PEOPLE.
C. IDENTIFY THE TESTS!
EXPECT THE TESTS!
THRIVE IN THE TESTS!
Hebrews 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
This is a several part lesson.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
