Forward Through the Test
Philippians 3:13-14 NLT
No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on
this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies
ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the
heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
What Forward May Look Like to You:
• It’s fulfilling for you.
• It’s Christ-centered.
• It gives glory to God.
1 Peter 4:12 NASB
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which
comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were
happening to you…
James 1:12 NIV
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood
the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has
promised to those who love him.
Luke 4:1-2 NIV
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit
into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was
hungry.
Three Tests We Need to Overcome to Move Forward:
- The Purity Test: Satan came to test the desires of the flesh.
Luke 4:3 NIV
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to
become bread.”
Deuteronomy 8:3 NKJ
“…man shall not live by bread alone…”
Galatians 5:16-17 NLT
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing
what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil,
which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit
gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature
desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you
are not free to carry out your good intentions. - Lust of the Eyes: Love of the World
Luke 4:5-7 NIV
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all
the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their
authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to
anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Luke 4:8 MSG
Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: “Worship
the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with (all of
your heart).”
Matthew 6:19-21 NABRE
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break
in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” - The Pride Test: The original sin at the root of every failure in our
lives.
Proverbs 16:18 NIV
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Pride: failure to accept and perceive the reality of our total
dependence on God
“Pride is the absence of humility as darkness is the absence of light
and a vacuum is the absence of atmosphere.”
Philippians 2:3 NIV
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility
value others above yourselves…
How Jesus Became Successful Through Tests:
- He knew His identity.
Matthew 3:16-17 NIV
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that
moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from
heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well
pleased.”
Ephesians 3:16-17 TLB
…that out of his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you the
mighty inner strengthening of his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ
will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you
trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s
marvelous love… - He knew the Word.
- Endurance
James 1:2-4 NASB
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let
endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing.
Romans 5:3-4 ESV
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering
produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and
character produces hope…