Praying with Paul: Taking Tests
Praying with Paul • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
Tonight, we will continue [Praying with Paul]. The subject of my message is [Final Exams].
I have taken a lot of tests in my life. Since I was in seventh grade, I have had to take final exams where the teacher will go over everything we’ve learned the entire semester in the form of a test.
I often have a recurring dream. In the dream, I will find out that I did not pass one of my finals in high school and I have to go back and retake that class.
The problem with this is, in the dream, I because I failed a final before college, I also have to take all of my college classes again. I began to panic in the dream thinking of all the time and money I have spent on my bachelors, masters, and now doctoral work.
I am always thankful when the dream is over and realize, it was just a dream.
The Corinthians were not living in a dream. Paul wrote to them to address the sinful attitudes that had crept into the Church.
Paul wrote to them to let them know, God is sending me to examine you and see if you are really living for Him.
God does test people and He uses various methods to test us.
4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
God’s tests do not mean that He does not love us or care about us. When we pass the test, He often takes us to a new place in Him.
God was about to send Paul to check on the Corinthians, would they pass the test?
Let’s look at three aspects of being tested—[Study for the Test], [Slowly through the Test], and [Standards for the Test].
Let’s begin
1. Study for the Test
1. Study for the Test
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.
7 Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified.
The background for this passage was the attitudes the Corinthians began to develop toward Paul. False apostles and teachers came to belittle Paul and his work for God.
They made claims about him that simply were not true. One of those was that he was weak and his weakness disqualified him from ministry.
Paul asked them to study his life. He went through aspects of his life in the previous chapters, discussing the trials and the triumphs, to show that in all he did, he kept passing the tests.
Then he tell them, examine yourselves.
5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
How could they know whether or not they were going to past the test?
They needed to look to Jesus, who is the answer to everything!
So Paul encouraged them not to do evil or to refuse correction.
When people take tests, often the teacher will provide a study guide so they will know what is on the test. If the student will go through the study guide, they will be ready.
If not, they might find themselves tempted to cheat on the test.
Paul is showing, God shows us what He expects of us. Look to Him. He also told them, you can look to me.
1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
They could study Paul’s life and see that he really did follow Jesus in everything he did.
I read that and began to wonder, could we say the same?
Can people study us and see Jesus in our words, actions, and lifestyle?
In preparation for this test, they were to study and prepare themselves.
2. Slowly through the Test
2. Slowly through the Test
9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete.
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Two times Paul prayed that they would be complete or that they would put their lives into proper order so that they can finish strong.
The process of becoming more like the Lord is a slow one. We cannot get into a hurry when it comes to having God form Himself within us.
I remember the first day of fifth grade, Mr. Gray gave us a test. I rushed to be the first one to finish. There were probably thirty questions.
I started answering them and they were pretty hard. I got some right, but a lot of them I could not answer. I began to get frustrated when I noticed other people turning their work in almost instantly.
I thought, how could they already be done?
I did the best I could and submitted it to my teacher, especially annoyed after I read the last question. After everyone was finished, he passed them back to us and gave us the answers.
But first, he read the instructions— they said, read every question before answering. The last question was— after reading every questions, sign your name at the top and turn into the teacher.
I was in too big of a hurry to read every question, I thought I would take them as they came.
Sometimes as Christians, we get in too big of a hurry to walk with the Lord. He does not get into a hurry. He is patient and sometimes takes the long way around.
When we feel tested, it is best not to rush through the test. We should be patient, thorough, and willing to trust God and His timing.
Let me add right here, there is a difference between being tested and being tempted.
The enemy tempts us, and he does so to get us off course. God tests us, and He does so to take us to a new level.
We can’t get to a new grade if we do not take our tests. Likewise, in our walk with God, if we want to go to new places in Him, we have to patiently wait on Him and let Him help us!
3. Standards for the Test
3. Standards for the Test
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
When a test is given, there are standards for the exam. For instance, when I took an Algebra class, the tests always had to do with math, never with history. The standards were different.
When God tests us, He also has standards. These standards serve as the means of measuring us and seeing if we pass or fail.
When I read the last verse of this book, I noticed the standards. God’s tests do not come based on worldly standards, instead they are measured by:
Grace
Love
Fellowship
The grace of the Lord is the standard of our testing. Why is this important?
God’s grace in unmerited favor. The Lord is not an unfair teacher who wants us to fail, He is gracious. He takes time with us. When we fall, He gets us back up again.
We are also tested in light of the love of God. God’s tests come full of HIs love. His love will never end and never run out for our lives!
We are also tested knowing that the Holy Spirit is with us. Imagine getting a test and have the one who wrote the test help us take the test!
That is what the Holy Spirit does. When we walk in communion with Him and He leads and guides us!
The Trinity walks with us when we are tested.
Close:
Who has ever been tested?
If we walk with God, we will all face tests. But remember His tests do not come to get us down or to make it hard for us.
Just as it is in school, if we want to advance to the next grade, we have to pass the tests.
I remember a while back, going through a somewhat difficult time. I cannot say why it was difficult, for there was not a specific reason, it just felt like everything.
Bekah felt it too. We would pray, discuss, and wonder when it would end.
One day as I was praying, I felt God gave me the answer and I went to Bekah and told her— I feel like we are being tested. We need to hold steady and let God help us get past this test.
If we don’t we will have to take the test again in the future. We both felt better and chose to hold onto God and let Him help us!
If we do not pass the test now, we will have to take it again.
God’s tests do not come because He is angry with us, but because He wants us to go into a new place in Him.
So when we feel tested:
examine ourselves and study what God is doing
go slow and do not rush through the test
remember that the whole Trinity is help us pass through the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit!