THE SIFTER, TEST GO BEFORE PROMOTION.
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
*TEST: EVALUATION, value, proof, examination, a procedure intended to establish quality, check reliability, to check, to measure skills, measure knowledge, series of questions. The goal of testis SUCCESS.
James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
*TRIAL: A SITUATION THAT God sends or allows with the intention of revealing motives, character and commitment.
Test prove strengthen and can bring promotion. Temptations tend to illustrate your weaknesses. I can’t stop birds from flying over, but I can stop them from building nest. (Vannucci)
It appears God tested Israel. It also appears Israel tested God.
GARDEN OF EDEN… GOD HAS A COMMAND NOT A SUGGESTION…
First test in the Bible, God designed a restriction for Adam and Eve to demonstrate LOVE, OBEDIENCE, LOYALITY AND THE ABILITY TO TRUST THE COUPLE. God trusted man , the ENEMY’S GOAL WAS TO FAIL. Satan rages and hates God and God’s creation. The ENEMY appeared as very beautiful, crafty, subtil
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.
Deception, deceive? HALF TRUTH IS DEALING IN LIES… The enemy twisted God’s words and tries to make God look mean. THE TEMPTOR CANNOT FORCE EVE… Your choice will have eternal consequences
Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
EVE, THEN ADAM WHERE IS YOUR TRUST AND FAITH. Will we rely on God? Will we trust the lust of the flesh and kill the power of faith.
WANT TO DISCUSS A HARD TEST: ABRAHAM WAS TESTED 10 TIMES. ABRAHAM’S SUPREME TEST WAS TO LAY HIS ONLY SO ON THE ALTAR…
Genesis 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
OUR ENEMY DESIRES TO TEST AND RUIN YOUR HOPES… THE SIFTER…
Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
THE QUART JAR TEST? THE TRIAL OR TEST MAY SEEM SO SIMPLE, WE MISS THE PURPOSE OF THE TEST…
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.
JOB WAS TESTED…
Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
THERE IS A FOUNDATION TEST… FOUNDATION: LOW, LOAD BEARING; UNDERLYING BASIS, REASON.
THE STORMS: RAIN,(FREQUENT, SMALL); FLOOD ( WHERE YOU BUILD) AND THE WIND. (SURVEY DAMAGE AND BUILD AGAIN.
Luke 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
SEEMS THE LUST OF THE FLESH AND PRIDE OF LIFE… WAS DAVID TIRED? DID A LIFE OF EASE IN THE PALACE PLACE A TRAP OF THE TESTING? This test is an OPPORTUNITY TO LAUNCH OUR FAITH AND TRUST GOD.
SEEMSTHE TRIAL, THE TEST IN THE BIBLE IS A CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE GOD’S PEOPLE ARE CHALLENGED BY DIFFICULTIES THAT WILL EVALUATE OUR FAITH, OUR CHARACTER AND OUR OBEDIENCE… THE TEST WILL STRETCH OUR FAITH AND PURIFY OUR HEARTS.
2 Samuel 11:1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
While standing on the roof of David’s house, he failed the test….
2 Samuel 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
DAVID KNEW WHEN HIS LITTLE SON DIED, TAMAR WAS RAPED BY AMMON, WHEN ABSOLOM REBELLED, ETC. DAVID KNEW HIS PLAYING HOOKY COST HIM GREAT CONSEQUENCES… YET HE WAS STILL A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART. FAIL THE TEST? DO IT OVER AGAIN.
LET US MEET THE TESTING CHALLENGE HEAD –ON.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
James 1:12 (MSG) Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.
GOD INVITES US TO PROVE HIM --- GOD WILL OPEN THE WINDOWS OF HEAVE AND SHOW HIMSELF STRONG.
Malachi 3:10 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Malachi 3:10 (MSG) Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don't open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams.
CONCLUSION: REMEMBER THE 3 LITTLE PIGS… ONE HAD A HOUSE OF STRAW, ONE HAD A STICKS AND THE THIRD OUT OF BRICKS… THE BIG BAD WOLF HUFFED AND PUFFED AND BLEW TWO HOUSES DOWN… ARE WE BUILD WITH SPIRITUAL WOOD, HAY AND SSTUBLE… OR ARE WE BUILDING WITH GOD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS STONES…
1 Corinthians 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 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.
1 Peter 1:7 (MSG) Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
