T869 When Your Faith is Tested Pt.1

My father used to be quick to remind me sometimes the test becomes our testimony. How does that apply to God's word? We'll discover that today. The. This is the encouraging word featuring the Bible based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton. And today, Dr. Tyne's message is called When Your Faith is tested. As a matter of fact, because of the impact of this message on so many of our lives. It's going to be taking place over the next couple of days. It's a topic. Dr. Don wants to help us move through because we are either in a test, have been in the test or are facing a test. It's going to happen in our life. And when our faith is tested, we can find that that test really does become a part of our testimony. You'd like to talk with someone. Pray with someone. We're here for you at eight six, six, eight, nine, nine word. That's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three. Meet us online at TCW online Dorji. Now, Dr. Don Wilson.

Did you know that if you know Jesus Christ as your personal savior, that he is going to put you through a series of tests? And I'm going to tell you that I believe that those tests go on for a lifetime. There are two issues at hand. Number one is the fact that God tests us. Number two. Is the fact that we must be completely obedient to do exactly what it is that God is telling us to do? I want to pray for you this morning. Would you value his father? We have entered into a remarkable time of worship this morning. And how grateful we are. That you love so much that you sent the Lord Jesus Christ, your son.

To come to this earth.

And a die upon a cross in order that we might have life. Father, we recognize today that without you we would have no forgiveness of sin. We would have no hope beyond the grave. We would not be able to go to be in heaven with you forever. But praise be to God. You provided the way. And Father, we thank you today for that. And Lord, right now, I want to pray for my people. You've asked me to be the pastor. And to be the spiritual leader of this congregation and literally hundreds of thousands of people who worship with us by way of television and father, I feel so honored this morning to pray for my people. And I pray perhaps the most unusual prayer right now. That father, you would teach us about this incredible thing called tasting. That you would show us exactly what it means and why you do it. That you would help us to understand what it is that we are going through. And then father, above all, beginning with myself. I pray that we would be absolutely obedient to you. Because we want to experience God and have a fresh encounter with you. We pray these things together in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ, a man. Well, many people have asked me from time to time, they've said to me, Pastor, I've got a little problem.

How do I know if I'm being tested or if I'm being tempted? You see, both testing and temptation involve making a decision based upon a choice that is presented to us? Well, if you want to know whether you're being tempted, do your level best to try and figure out what the end result will be if you do what you are being invited to do. That choice that you're about to make, will it result in you pleasing the heart of God? And by the way, are you dependent upon God in the making of that choice? Because if what you do results in sin, in other words, if what you do displeases God and you don't have to consult God as to whether or not to do it, I'll guarantee you being tempted. And the author of All Temptation is none other than Satan himself. Don't do it because God will never tempt you. On the other hand, if the choice that you are being presented with the decision that you need to make, like we always have to make in many stations of life. Number one, you have to consult God. You've got to seriously go and depend upon God in that choice. Second of all, if you can determine as best as you can at the end result of whatever it is that you do is going to please the heart of God.

You are being tested because God himself is the strength of our faith.

God does what he does in our hearts and lives in order to strengthen us in our walk, to make us stronger. To give us courage for the journey. To enable us to stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you ready? I'm gonna invite you to open your Bibles to Janis's and Chapter 22 to a most familiar story. I first learned about Abraham and Isaac, I should imagine, when I was just two bricks and a Tickie high in kindergarden when I first began to go to Sunday school.

Abraham and Isaac, I love that story.

I've seen dramas in acted. I've heard song sung about it. I've heard preachers preach on it. Sunday school teachers teach on it. But I believe that God wants us to take a close look at this passage today. And I'd like to read to you from Genesis Chapter 22. And I know that you have your Bibles opened in front of you. Love to hear those pages turn. Sometime later, God tested Abraham, just by the way, if I could just stop right there. I really wanted to preach on that opening statement some time later. Some people evidently believe that you give your life to Christ. He put you through a series of tests. He says that's it.

You've arrived and he leaves you alone. God will never leave you alone. God will never leave you alone. Some time later, God will test you right throughout the fabric of your Christian life.

Sometime later, God tested Abraham. He saved him, Abraham. Here I am. Abraham replied in. God said, take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Mariah, sacrificed him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. I will tell you about. Early the next morning, Abraham got up, saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son, Isaac. And when he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place. God had told him about on the third day. Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his service, Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there and we will worship. And then we will come back to you. What a statement of faith. God had spoken to Abraham. God was testing Abraham. Abraham was doing exactly what God told him to do. But Abraham expressed ultimate faith. Look what happened in verse six. Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son, Isaac, and he himself carried the fire in the night.

As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father, Abraham. Father. Yes, my son. Abraham replied. The fire in the wood are here. Isaac said. But where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered. God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering. My son.

And the two of them.

Went on together, and when they reached the place, God had told him about Abraham Booton Altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven.

Abraham Abraham. Here I am. Abraham replied.

Do not lay a hand on the boy. He said, do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. Abraham looked up and there in a thicket. He saw Ram caught by its horns.

He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place. The Lord will provide. And to this day it is sent on the mountain of the Lord.

It will be provided. The Angel of the Lord called Abraham from heaven a second time, and said, I swear by myself to cleanse the Lord that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.

And as the sand on the sea shore, your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies and through your offspring, all the nations on the earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me and I just love verse 19.

Then Abraham returned to his servants and together.

They set off for Beersheba. Are you ready to join arms together and settle for Beersheba when your faith?

Is taste. Forgive the interruption. I'm not sure I'm ready. None of us are as ready as we'd like to be to head off to Beersheba or whatever when our faith is tested. But here's the good news. You do not have to face that alone. We're here for you. At the encouraging word, 24 hours a day. Matter of fact, when we began this ministry it and grew out of our own local ministry to one that now is reaching around the globe.

The very first time we did, the very first thing Dr. Don said is this needs to be not just a presentation. It needs to be a conversation. We need to be able to communicate back and forth.

We do that both on the phone at eight six, six, eight, nine, nine word. That's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three.

And online as well at TCW online. Dorji that's t e W4 the encouraging word. TCW online.

Dorjee, we would love to connect with you have that conversation. Maybe some things that we can be Pring specifically for you about, or you might have some resources there on our Web site. That would be just what you need to help you move to the next step. And as Dr Dan said, be ready to set off to Beersheba again. Let's dove back into God's word, together with Dr Don Wiltern here on the encouraging word.

We are going to do something somewhat interesting here today. I want to give to you. Ten spiffs. Related to the testing of your faith? I don't know how many times I've asked God to help me to understand what it really means to be tested. How do I know I'm tested?

What goes on? What is a test? What's it for? What must I do? How do I recognize a test from God? I'm going to give it to you right out of God's word. Today, 10 steps. I'm also going to be bold enough to tell you these steps. Come in this order, folks.

This is an order of priority in which God tests people like you and me. Are you ready? Are you ready for this? When you face the test, number one step.

Number one, contact made. Contact made. Did you notice this one? God came to a Abraham and said, Abraham, any questions this morning?

Contact made. Step number one, God is going to contact you. Now, back in the Old Testament dispensation before the Lord Jesus Christ became the provision for our sin, before God provided him in order to take the place of our sin so that through Jesus Christ, we have direct access to God. The father back in the Old Testament days, God would appear and speak to these people just like that. So how does God make contact with us today? Well, he does it in many different ways, and that's not the subject under discussion this morning. But I'll share one or two things with you. God will contact you through his word. You say the Bible. Yes, the Bible. I'll guarantee you today that God has contacted many a person today. Just when I read the word of God, the Bible tells us about itself. God has revealed himself to us through his word. This word doesn't contain the word of God. It is the word of God. That's why I believe every word is the infallible word from Genesis to Revelation. This word is sharper than any two edged sword. God contact me through his word. Sometimes I'll just be reading this week as I tried to do some of the preparation for experiencing God and as I read the study. God spoke to me through his word. He contacted me. God will contact you sometimes through friends and family. Godly people. I cannot tell you the number of times God has contacted me through godly people. God has contacted me through my wife. God has contacted me through the circumstances of my God to contact you through his Holy Spirit. That in a sense of the presence of God that you cannot explain, FCA Fellowship of Christian Athletes invited me to come and share a word with Burns High School and with Glade High School from Florida. And they were being nationally televised right here in Duncan. Boy, I'm so proud of those Burns Reynolds and coach Bobby Bentley. And what an incredible group of people. What an incredible coach they have. And they invited me to come on and to speak to them before the game. Now I want to emphasize before the game. Have you ever been to a football game? Who in this life listens to some old fuddy duddy preacher when you come to speak before a football game? So Sam Davis loads me up and go gone over there. It is two hours before the game and I'm going riding in the truck down Highway 29.

And I say to myself, there's not gonna be anybody. Then whoever's they're not going to listen anyway. They're gonna be getting hot dogs and ice creams and chicken wings and barbecue and French fries. I mean, the last thing they want to do and I ride they folks.

There was something like twelve thousand people dead. I mean, he had a heart attack. I said, these things are not meant to be. I walked out there. They were giving me microphones, giving me instructions. Posta you stand right there in the middle of the field, right day out for public scrutiny. Everybody's gonna look at you.

Now, they say to me, now, please don't be concerned, Posta, because they people walking around, people coming in and there's a lot of noise and nobody's gonna know anything but just get up there and you've got a certain amount of time and just share it. And I know all about the anti Christian League union and I know that in America today, you dare not do this and you're damn not doing that. And shame on you if you're an American and have the audacity to ever talk about the Lord Jesus Christ, because he doesn't need to have any part to do in our society. And we don't want our young people and we don't embarrass our people. And we've got to be politically correct and we don't want to do this and don't do that. And whatever you do, don't pray in Jesus name. But they never said any of that to me.

But I ask God to give me wisdom. And so I stood out on that field and the place was packed both front and back. And I'm going to tell you folks, when I got up to speak, you could have heard.

A pin drop. It was that quiet in a football stadium, and near the end of my talk, I made a statement. All I said was, I want you to know that I'm a Christian man.

And I believe that it's time in America today that people like you and me who are convicted about the garden father of our Lord Jesus Christ, those of us who love him. That we stand up and that we be counted. I wasn't having an invitation. I wasn't asking anybody to stand up. But as I said, that you could have heard a pin drop and one man stood up and then 10 and 20.

The next minute, hundreds of people were standing up at Burns High School in Duncan, South Carolina.

Contact made. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. Step number one. Contact is made. God has contacted so many and you know it. Number two. Response heard. Second step.

When your faith is tested, response heard, I want you to notice something there in verse one. God said to him, Abraham. Abraham said, Hero, my Lord.

Now watch this, folks. Watch this. I want to say this with all the love in my heart to you today. One of the reasons why God is not blessing some of you is because you never respond to him. The silence in America today is deafening.

All of us are running around acknowledging who God is. We are good at preaching about him and proclaiming his name and doing works and getting engaged. But what God wants us to do is to stand up and say, are my Lord.

Response heard. The silence is deafening.

Step number two in being tested in your faith is the response that comes from you directed into the heart of God. Note number three, step number three instructions detailed from verse to God. Say, take your son, go to the region of Mariah, sacrifice him. There is a burnt offering. Do exactly what I tell you. Now, some of you are going to say, but Posta, does God always give us a detailed hand instruction book? No. When he first called Ibram, when he was still Ibram in Genesis Chapter twelve, he said, Get up and go.

Verse four. So Ibram got up and went. But kids, the bottom line, folks. God is God, isn't he?

And God will give to us exactly what we need to know in order to do what God tells us to do. And God will tell us only and exactly what God wants us to know. But the bottom line is that God has, in the palm of his hand, a detailed book of instructions.

He's already there. He's already there.

Abraham was given just enough for him to be able to respond in obedience to God. But God never took him to a place that Abraham did not need to go, because if he took him to a place that Abraham did not need to go, there would be no test of his faith. If you and I were to know everything that God wanted us to know before we did it, there would be no need to exercise.

Our faith would be. Sometimes that's the most difficult thing in the in the world.

Sometimes we'll have an organization. Sometimes we'll have a ministry. Sometimes we will have a program. Sometimes we'll embark on things and we'll say. But Lord, I need to know the end from the beginning. That's the heart of the human nature. I know that. I'm like that. That's a great lesson for a church like ours and for all evangelical churches. That's what it means, that we need to be bold in faith. That means that we're willing to say, Lord, you are going to give us instructions to the point at which we need to know what it is you want us to know that we don't need to know tomorrow because you hold tomorrow in the palm of your hand. Some of you are embarking on a new adventure. Don't worry about tomorrow. Don't try to project yourself too far down the road because God has detailed instructions.

He's just testing your faith. No. For details followed. That's step number four when your faith is tested. Following what God has told you to do now, friends, that's not always the easiest thing to do, isn't.

Is to actually do what God tells us to do. It's one thing to get a set of instructions, but it's another thing to do it all. Now, you consider Abram's, for example. I think it would be very reasonable to consider this man taking his only son. God was presenting him with an impossible, confusing impossibility.

I want you to take your son. I want you to take him up that hill there. And I want you to offer him as a sacrifice. I want you to kill your son. Not just excuse me, Lord, you've told me I'm gonna be the father of many nations.

For crying in a bucket, I've only got one son. As it is. And I'm too old. And Sarah's two oh. We beyond child bearing age. Something's wrong with us. How are we gonna do it? Lord, please help me. I'm willing to go so far and no further.

But the Bible says in verse three, immediately upon receiving his instructions, Abraham got up and he followed those instructions in detail.

What a blessed example Abraham is to obey right away. He did it. No complaining. As my granddaddy would say, obey right away. Delayed obedience is disobedience. And today is the Lord's stirring your heart to make a change, to make a fresh commitment to him.

If you know him as savior and Lord, where to come to him for the very first time. Perhaps you've never given your heart to Jesus Christ. And you're wondering how does that happen? Well, we'd like to talk about in a couple of ways.

One, you can call us right now and we'd love to answer your questions at eight, six, six, eight, nine, nine word. That's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three.

But maybe you're in a situation where you can't really be the only conversation you need to have is with God. I pray that you open your heart to what Dr. Wiltern is about to say next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ?

I'm so happy to hear that. Why don't you pray this? Pray with me today. Dear God, I know that you love me very, very much. And I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on a cross so that I might be forgiven of my son. Today I repaid to my son. I can face my son to you. And I invite you to come into my heart and into my life by faith. In Jesus name, I pray. If you prayed that prayer, let me be the first one to welcome you to the family of God. This is wonderful. I hope that you know how much I'm gonna be praying for you and how very important this is for me. Call us so that we can talk to you and connect you in the right place so you can begin this wonderful journey if you just prayed with Dr. Don.

Welcome to this new, fresh relationship with Jesus Christ. Maybe it's for the very first time.

We have wonderful resources for you to help you take the next steps or maybe your rededicating your life to Jesus Christ. Either way, we're so excited for what God is doing. Let us know. You can like Dr. Don no. Directly by e-mailing him at dawn at TCW online. Dorji. That's Dawn. D o n at TCW online. Dorji. Not only will we make sure he gets to read your e-mail, but he and all of us will begin to pray for what God's going to do next in your life again.

E-mail us Dawn at TCW online Dorji or the message gets to Dr.. None the same way if it comes up on a screen when he opens up today's e-mails, he could call eight six six eight nine nine word.

That's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three.

As you reach out to us, I guarantee you not only does a bomb become a part of our huge prayer ministry internally and with those that pray with us around the globe. But, Dr. Don, we'll be praying with you and for you as well. Eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three is the phone number. We would love to connect with you. Prayer is critical to who we are at the encouraging word.

We believe in the power of prayer. We all know of someone who stands in the need of prayer. But what about you today? Do you need someone to pray for you? What concerns you today is something or someone weighing heavy on your heart? Call us at eight six, six, eight, nine, nine. Word. We're here for you. 24 hours a day. Seven days a week. Eight, six, six, eight, nine, nine. Word all through your calls are confidential. We would love to pray for you. The encouraging word is a viewer in listener supported ministry. Thank you for listening today.

Before we get away. Do you know the verse from quashing 323? Do your work hardily. As for the Lord rather than for men, many of you are smiling, knowing that that was our verse. Early this morning, Dr. Dawn sent out and the daily encouraging word e-mail about loving what we do.

God has called us to different areas of work and sometimes that work is in the home. Sometimes it's relative as a grandparent or as a businessman or a businesswoman. And as we do that, the best of our ability. God is glorified in remarkable ways.

Again, there's so much more from Dr. Don about that in a day of encouraging e-mail that he didn't sign up for earlier. Now, you can do that online at TCW online Dorji. Sign up today. We'll be in your mailbox by tomorrow. That's TCW online. Dorji, if you'd like a physical copy like I'm holding in my hands right now. The quarterly copy Coleson asked for it at eight six six eight nine nine word. That's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three. Asked for the daily encouraging word Bible guide. We'd love to send it to you now until next time I pray. You have a wonderful day. We're going to continue with this when your faith is tested. Message from Dr. Donna. Same time tomorrow as the broadcast continues.