In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he uses a phrase that should stop us in our tracks and give consideration to. But, like most ‘bible student’s, when we do our daily or occasional readings, if you are like many folks, it’s more about getting those chapters done and checked off so you can get about your day. You know who you are. ;-) 

Paul writes that he had ‘been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel…to speak and not to please men, but God who tests our hearts.” (2:4) 

Wait, … ‘God tests our hearts’? 

Why would God need to ‘test our hearts’? Doesn’t He already know what’s in them? He certainly does. So this idea of being ‘tested by God’ has somewhat of an ominous or discomforting feel to it, does it not? 

I can remember early on in my Christian walk sitting under a very influential pastor for several years, who from the pulpit would chide and make fun of people who were of the mindset that God was ‘testing them’ or suggest they were ‘going through a test’. It doesn’t take long for you to take on the same perspective that an influential pastor you are being ‘fed by’ has. 

 Interesting, is it not how flippant we can become about certain scriptures that don’t fit in our ‘box’ of theological beliefs. It’s almost like that ‘serpent of old, also known as the Devil and Satan who deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9) has never changed up his strategy that worked so well for him in the garden with Adam and Eve. (Gen 3) 

 “Has God really said…? That’s not what God meant…what He really meant was…” 

Need I remind you that the one thing Jesus spoke repeatedly about when it came to ‘signs of His coming and of the end of the age’ in Matt 24 had to do with warnings of being deceived. “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name saying …and deceive many” (4-5) 

Yes….God tests us. 

 He tested Adam and Eve in the Garden with that one tree he commanded them not to eat off of. They failed that test. 

When Moses was getting ready to hand off the next generation of Israelites to Joshua before they crossed in to posses the land, God spoke to them reminding them how important that ‘every commandment which He commanded them that day , they must be careful to observe”. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and TEST you, to know what was in your heart , whether you would keep His commandments or not”. (Deut 8:1-2) 

The psalmist in 17:3 writes ‘you have tested my heart’ and again in 66:10- For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. 

You know who else got ‘tested’? 

 Jesus. 

Right after He was baptized by John in the Jordan river, we read in Luke 4 that being filled with the Holy Spirit, He was ‘led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted/tested/tried by the…devil. 

 Hmmm. Jesus…tested…in the wilderness …by the devil. 

 We are told that when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time (vs 13). That would suggest that the testing would continue? 

But what I see as being remarkable of this account are two things that somehow escaped my early years of learning what it means to follow Christ. 

1. Jesus went straight from the baptistery into the wilderness to be tested. Now days, we get people dunked and then plug them into ‘ministry’ …you know, keep’em busy so they keep coming back and set roots in what we are doing in that particular congregation. We might even have them teaching a class sooner than later if they seem capable. 

2. Prior to Jesus’ baptism, we have no record of him doing any miracles or preaching or ministry, per say. But right after his ‘testing’ when He proved…that He loved the Father with ALL His heart, it says He ‘’returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee.’’ And that is when the world began to change. 

It would seem that today, in our American Christian circles, we have subscribed to a theology where all us ‘believers’ are simply bystanders in the bleachers watching all the Jesus did for us, cheering Him on when He was tested…and crucified, and then raised from the dead. And because we all have our “I Believe” T-shirts on, we reap all the benefits of what He did while we sit comfortably on the sidelines. 

Yet, 1 John 2:6 says ‘He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 

Paul would teach other believers in Acts 14:22 that ‘’We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” 

And Jesus never shied away of telling ‘prospective followers’ that unless they took up their own cross and were willing to die to self’ they could not be a part of what He was doing.

You mean we have to come off the sidelines of comfort and now follow the steps of Jesus? Wait…was that in the brochure?? 

Yep…sure is. Repeatedly. 

 Funny…and sad, to be honest, how we missed those chapters. 

But the encouraging thing about this journey is that Jesus promises to be with us every step of the way. It’s called ‘abiding in Him’. And you know what the outcome is if we ‘endure till the end’? (Matt 24:13) All the righteous requirements of the law will be fully met in us. (Rom 8:4). That is what Christ came to do…to lead us…that we might become a ‘new creation’ (2 Cor 5:17) and ‘conformed to HIS image’ (Rom 8:29) and perfected in love. (1 John 4:12-17) 

Wanna guess what balks at diving in whole-heartedly? Yep – our flesh nature…cause it’s gonna die. And flesh don’t wanna die. 

 And there in lies THE test…are we going to love God with ALL our hearts? 

Christianity is not a ‘spectator’ religion. It is quite ‘interactive’ with God’s grace empowering and equipping us all the way along. You can’t ‘finish this race’ without it or Him. 

Here is where it gets even more interesting. 

 Guess who God uses us to ‘test’ us? 

Do you remember that interesting exchange between Jesus and Peter in Luke 22:31 “Simon…Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you , that your faith should not fail, and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’ 

Who was God talking to when He asked: “Have you considered my servant, Job?” (We may explore that later this week) 

Brethren…”think it not strange concerning this fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” (1 Peter 4:12) 

When you go through these tests, your flesh is being put to death. No other options. Unless you find another gospel and another Jesus who will lead you to ‘walk in a form of godliness, but deny the power’. 

Hence, his opening of chapter 4 where he writes: ‘since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men but for the will of God.” So what should we be looking like after a period of following/surrendering to Jesus? 

Why not sprinkle these two verses on your cereal this morning and chew on them. Just don’t throw them out because…they are right there in YOUR bible. 

“Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him….Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” ( 1 John 3:6,9) 

I know…I know…quite problematic for us to want to believe. 

 But just because you can’t wrap your head around it right now is no reason to dismiss it which…has been our tendency for a long time. 

Has God said? 

Yep…He sure did. Hang with me…I’ll see you tomorrow.