The Truth About Testing – Part 1

David J. Mullins: Hey, podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jefress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Hi, this is Robert Jefress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. In English, we have two different words. We have one word, temptation. If you look up temptation in Webster's dictionary, it means to entice to do evil. And it's true, God never entices anybody to do evil. On the other hand, we have a word, test. And the Bible says God tests people all of the time. He tests his children not to destroy them, but to strengthen them.
David J. Mullins: Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jefress. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. So, would God put anyone of us through that same type of test? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jefress explains that there's a big difference between testing and tempting. But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Before we continue our study called Prayers That Really Work, I want to draw your attention to a practical resource prepared by Pathway to Victory. If you're not yet receiving Pathway magazine, I'd like to send a complimentary edition to your home. Pathway magazine contains daily devotionals that I've written for you, feature articles on relevant issues in your Christian life, plus interesting interviews. It's printed in a convenient size so that you can slip the magazine into your purse or briefcase. Sign up to receive your first copy of Pathway magazine by going to ptv.org. The title of our series in November is Prayers That Really Work. And as a pastor and Bible teacher, I find that most Christians struggle with their personal prayer life. Well, I've written a brief book, a tutorial really, that's called Spiritual Essentials, How to Study the Bible, How to Pray. Plus, my daughter Julia Jefress Sadler has written a popular book, Not for Adults, but this time it's an entertaining illustrated book for the child in your life. As parents and grandparents, it's our duty to teach our families how to pray. And Julia's new book gives you a tool to do it. It's called You Can Pray Big Things. I'm pleased to send you both of these books when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Get ready to jot down our contact information just after today's study. Right now, however, let's turn our attention to Matthew chapter 6 and the best lesson on prayer that's available today, the Lord's Prayer. I titled today's message The Truth About Testing. Well, today uh we're talking about the subject of testing. So, it's only logical that we would begin the message with a test. Okay? Take out your papers, take out a pen, and uh there are three questions to this test. Please keep your eyes on your own paper, okay? Very simple question. Question number one, who is responsible for the temptations that come into my life? Is it God or is it Satan? Who's responsible for the temptations that come into my life? Is it God or is it Satan? Question number two, who is responsible for the tests that come into my life? Who's responsible for the tests that come into my life? Is it God or is it Satan? And then question number three, is it all right to ask God to spare me from difficult situations in life? Even if those difficult situations strengthen my faith. Is it okay to ask God to keep me from going through difficulties in life, to spare me from all problems in life, even if those problems strengthen my faith? I think the answer to all three questions will surprise you. We're going to find them in Matthew chapter 6 verse 13. If you would turn there as we look at the truth about testing. Matthew chapter 6, we're in the study of the Lord's Prayer, a series I've called Prayers That Really Work. Remember the background for this prayer? The disciples had hung around Jesus just long enough to be captivated by the kind of life he led. They saw the supernatural power that flowed through him. They saw the how he had peace of mind no matter what was happening around him. They saw his intimacy with God, and they said, you know what? We want some of that in our life. Now, these weren't the smartest bulbs in the universe, these disciples, but even they were able to connect the dots between the kind of supernatural power Jesus experienced every day and his prayer life. They they put the two together. They realized that prayer was the channel through which the power of God flowed into Jesus' life. And so they said to Jesus, Jesus, teach us to pray the way you pray. We want some of that power in our life. Teach us to pray the way you pray. And remember how Jesus responded? He said, okay, you want to know how to pray? Pray in this way. Now, he didn't say pray this prayer. Nowhere did he instruct us to pray this prayer word for word. These are not magical words kind of like hocus pocus or abracadabra, that if you just say them, great things happen into your life. No, this is a pattern for how to pray. Remember Jesus said, when you pray, pray this way. First of all, don't come rushing to God with everything you want. There's time for that later. First of all, focus on the glory of God, our Father, Abba, Daddy, Papa, our Daddy who is in heaven. Remember that relationship you have with God, but also remember he's holy. Hallowed holy is your name. When you come to God, spend a few moments reflecting on how different God is than you are. And isn't that a good thing that God is different than you are or that I am? God, thank you that you are all powerful when I'm less than all powerful. Thank you that you are all wise when I am less than all wise. Thank you that you are faithful even when I'm faithless. Remember the holiness, the separateness of God. It only follows that if God is different than we are, then his priorities ought to take precedent over ours. And that why he says, pray thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it's being done in heaven. That is, Father, just in the same way that one day you're going to rule over this entire world, I want you to take charge of my life. Today I'm submitting every part of my life to your rule. That's how we begin to pray. But then it's fine to go in to a list of things you're interested in, things you want from God. Jesus taught us to pray for our needs, and he mentions three of them beginning verse 11. He said, first of all, we have a need for provision. That means uh food and shelter and clothing, money. We need those things. God knows that. Give us this day our daily bread. Give us what we need. Secondly, we're to pray for a pardon from sins and forgive us of our debts, our sins as we have forgiven our debtors. That's not just a one-time prayer of salvation for our forgiveness of sins. It is a daily confessing, repenting, turning away from sin so that our family relationship with our father stays intact. And then when we get to verse 13, the final need we all have is for protection. Look at verse 13. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Now, that raises the question. Does God ever tempt us? Doesn't it stand to reason that if Jesus said, pray that God wouldn't lead you into temptation, that maybe sometimes he does lead you into temptation? Why would you pray this prayer if it were not a possibility? And how many of you would say, Pastor, God never tempts his children? That's clear in Scripture. God never tempts his children. Would you raise your hands? Come on, don't be bashful. You all look like you're not sure. Raise your hands. God never tempts his children, okay? For those of you who raise your hands, listen to Matthew 4 verse 1. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Now, it's the devil who tempted Jesus, no doubt about it, but who led him into that place of temptation? The Spirit of God. He led Jesus into a time of temptation. How many of you would say, well, that convinces me or uh pastor, I'm absolutely positive that God does sometimes tempt us? Would you raise your hand? Sure, God does sometimes tempt us, okay? I want you all to listen to James chapter 1 verses 13 and 14. Listen to what James said. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lusts. Never say I'm being tempted by God. And by the way, that word by, that preposition in the Greek language is a preposition of indirect agency. In other words, James is saying, when you're tempted, don't say God tempted me. I'm being tempted by God. God is not directly tempting anyone. In fact, he's not even indirectly involved in your temptation. He has zero to do with it. You know why temptation comes? He tells us here. Here's the formula. Each one is tempted when he is carried away, that means drawn by an inward power and enticed, that means hooked by his own lust. James said, the reason we fall into sin is because of our corrupt desires on the inside, and Satan who dangles the right bait in front of us on the outside. Satan is a master fisherman. He knows exactly what bait will hook you. For some people, it's sex. For some people, it's prestige. For some people, it's money. He knows exactly the right bait to dangle in front of you. And when your corrupt desires see that bait and you snap at it, James says you're hooked. That's what the word enticed means. It's a it's a fishing term that's used for the hooking of a fish. That's how temptation comes, our corrupt desires coupled with Satan's temptation. So, how do you reconcile what James is saying here, that God has no part in our temptation with Jesus' clear instruction to pray lead us not in temptation? Now, folks, this isn't just theology or philosophy. What I'm going to share with you affects your everyday life, so stay with me on this. The only way to understand this apparent contradiction in Scripture is to understand the difference between temptation and testing. Now, in English, we have two different words. We have one word, temptation. If you look up temptation in Webster's dictionary, it means to entice to do evil. That's what temptation is. It's an enticement to do evil. And it's true, God never entices anybody to do evil. He never uses evil. He never wants people to commit evil. Uh God never is involved in tempting people. That's what Satan does. He tempts people in order to destroy them. On the other hand, we have a word, test. And when we talk about testing, that always has a positive result in mind. It means a difficult circumstance that is used to strengthen our faith. And the Bible says God tempts people all of the time. He tests his children not to destroy them, but to strengthen them. And that's why James 1 2 says, Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Now, here's where it gets interesting. Even though we have two different words, temptation and test, in the Greek language there's only one word, pirasmos. And that word sometimes means temptation, the enticement to do evil, and sometimes that same word means to test, to strengthen our faith. One word that has two meanings. If that seems strange to you, we have that in the English language, don't we? For example, what does the word bank mean? B a n k, bank. What does it mean? Well, it depends the context in what you use it. You can say I'm going to make a deposit in the bank. We understand that. But if we say the airplane's about to bank to the left, it means something completely different. Or if we talk about the river overflowed its bank, it means something else. The meaning of the word depends upon its context. Now, this is true for the word pirasmos, which is best translated a difficult situation. Sometimes that word pirasmos can mean a temptation, an enticement to do evil. Sometimes it can mean a test, a difficult situation to strengthen our faith. In James 1, James uses that same word to mean both things. In James 1 2, he says, Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various pirasmos trials, difficult situations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But then down in James 1 13 to 14, even though the English language changes to temptation, James uses the same Greek word. He said, let nobody say when he is tempted, pirasmos, same word, I'm being tempted by God. Now, here's the important point. A difficult situation can be both a temptation and a test at the same time. When you go through a difficult situation, it can be both a temptation and a test at the same time. Let's say the doctor tells you you have cancer. Is that a temptation or is it a test? Well, Satan's going to use that difficult situation to tempt you to deny God, to destroy your faith, to make you think, now, if God really loves you, why in the world would he let you have cancer? So, for Satan, it's a temptation. But at the same time, God is using that difficult situation in your life to test you, to strengthen your faith. Whether that difficult situation ends up being a temptation that destroys your faith or a test that strengthens your faith depends on your response to it. You see, a pirasmos, a difficult situation is neither good nor bad. It's neither evil nor righteous. It depends upon your response to it. Think about Job. You know one day uh Satan came to God and said, look at your servant Job. Look at all the good things he's done for you. No wonder he worships you, but let me have a round or two with him. Let me touch him. Let me take away all of these blessings, and he'll curse you. So, God says, okay, you have at it. God didn't directly cause these problems, but he gave Satan permission, so he was ultimately responsible. Now, and Job didn't know any of this. He just sitting there one day minding his own business when all of a sudden he gets word that all of his cattle have been destroyed, and then he gets another word that uh a freak wind storm collapsed the roof of his house and killed his 10 children, and then he starts looking at the boils on him, and he loses his health, all of these things in a short period of time. He goes through this tremendous time of testing. Now, Satan is using this difficult situation to destroy Job's faith. Why not curse God and die? his wife says. At the same time, God is using this difficult situation to strengthen Job. And because Job ended up trusting in God even though he didn't understand the answer to the why question, these difficult circumstances became a test rather than a temptation. Do you understand that? Difficult situations are neither good nor bad. They're a temptation or a test depending upon our response to them. Several weeks ago, we had the director of uh uh Johnny Eareckson Tada's ministry worshiping with us. Johnny, you know, was in that freak diving accident 40 years ago. She's been in a wheelchair ever since, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And the director of her ministry told me the first words out of Johnny's mouth when she learned she had cancer were, I wonder what God's going to do through this in my life. See, that was a difficult situation, but she had determined that it was going to be a test to strengthen her faith, not a temptation that destroyed her faith. So, whenever we're praying this prayer, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. That word temptation could be translated, Lord, do not lead us into difficult situations, but deliver us from evil. Now, what exactly is Jesus telling us to pray for? Two things. Write them down. First of all, he said, when you pray, pray for an exemption from problems. Lead us not into difficult situations. There is nothing wrong and everything right to ask God for ask God to keep you out of difficulties. Lord, just protect me from difficult situations. Why? Because tests, although they have the possibility of great success, they also hold the possibility of failure, don't they? I mean, let's say you're taking a class in school, and the teacher says, now, at the end of the class, at the end of the semester, there's going to be a final exam, but the final exam is optional. How many students do you think would voluntarily say, oh no, I want to take that final exam? There's one or two nerds in every class who say, oh boy, yeah, yeah, man, I I can study and show how smart I am, you know. There's only those are few and far between. Most people would opt, if given a chance, not to go through a final examination because they know, although an exam has a chance to uh give success, it also has a chance to highlight failure as well. That reminds me of a story I was reading this week about a college sophomore who was really dreading his final exam in ornithology, the study of birds. The professor was tough. He was notoriously hard on this final exam, but the student prepared the best he could. He walks into the classroom, and to his dismay, there's no blue book on the table. There's no multiple choice exam. Instead, for the final, the professor had put 25 pictures of birds around the classroom. And not just pictures of birds, but just pictures of birds' feet. And the final exam was to identify each of the 25 birds by looking at the feet. Well, this this student were so frustrated. He slammed his book down. He said, Professor, there is no way anybody could do that. No way you could identify a bird just by looking at the feet. Professor said, well, that's the final exam. The student said, well, I'm not going to do it. He said, if you don't do it, you're going to fail. So, the student stands up and walks out the door. He said, I'm finished with this class. The professor says, if you walk out that door, you have failed. He said, I'm not taking the exam. Professor said, okay, you fail. Now, tell me your name. The student stopped, pulled up his pants legs, took off his shoes and socks, held up his feet, and said, you figure it out for yourself. Now, we don't like tests, do we? They may show how smart we are, but they may show how stupid we are as well. Jesus said, when you pray, ask God to spare you from testing. Nothing wrong with that. You know why Jesus said it's okay to ask God to keep you from testing from difficult circumstances? Because that's how Jesus prayed himself. Remember when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before he was crucified, what did Jesus say to God? He said, God, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not go through this experience. Let this cup pass from me. It wasn't just the physical torture Jesus dreaded, but the spiritual suffering of bearing the sins of the entire world, of taking God's condemnation upon himself. He said, Father, I'd rather not go through this. Why did he say that? Because he knew this test could go either way. If indeed he were obedient to the Father, then there would be great victory. But if he refused to submit to the Father's will and gave in to Satan, it would be the greatest disaster in history. So, he said, Father, if it's all the same to you, I would just prefer not to have to go through this test, but then he quickly added, yet not my will, but your will be done. Jesus said, in the same way, we ought to daily ask God to protect us from difficult situations. Lead us not into difficulties. In his book Prayer the Great Adventure, David Jeremiah lists four specific exemptions we ought to ask God for. He said, first of all, we ought to pray for an exemption from persecution. Second, we ought to pray for an exemption from danger. Thirdly, we ought to pray for an exemption from poverty. Fourth, David tells us we ought to pray for an exemption from fear. Jesus said, when you pray every day, ask God to protect you from difficult circumstances, to keep you from difficulties. You know, I think as Christians we've almost romanticized difficult situations. We think somehow they they're just so wonderful, these wonderful tests that come into our life. No, they're really not. They could strengthen us, they could destroy us. And so like Jesus, we should say, Lord, if it's all the same to you, please keep these things from happening to me. But we also know, like Jesus discovered, that sometimes God has a different plan for us. Instead of sparing us, exempting us from problems, his plan is to take us through problems. And that's why Jesus added the second part of the prayer, deliver us from evil. That is a prayer for protection through problems, a protection through problems. If you're suffering today, remember it's perfectly natural to ask God to remove your trials from you. In closing, I'll remind you that Pathway to Victory has prepared two unique tools to help you accelerate your growth in this area. First, my daughter Julia has written a creative children's book on prayer. As the parents to our three little grandchildren, Julia and her husband Ryan have made it their mission to teach their children how to pray. And now, Julia has written a colorful storybook that's fully illustrated in order to help you do the same. It's called You Can Pray Big Things. With her book, you can sit down with your child to engage them in a fun lesson on talking to God. In fact, with Christmas just around the corner, Julia's book makes a wonderful gift. Plus, I've written a book for adults that'll be helpful as well. It's called Spiritual Essentials, How to Study the Bible, How to Pray. Sometimes the most powerful things come in small packages. That's true of my book Spiritual Essentials. It's only 50 pages, but it will change the way you talk with God and hear from him every single day. And you're invited to request a copy of both resources, the book for kids and the one for you, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Here's David with all the details.
David J. Mullins: Today when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request a copy of Julia Jefress Sadler's book for children, You Can Pray Big Things. Plus, you'll also receive Dr. Jefress' highly practical book for adults, Spiritual Essentials. To request these two resources, call 866-999-2965. You could visit ptv.org or text PTV to 78800. And when your gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you this month's teaching series Prayers That Really Work on both audio and video disc. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. If you'd prefer to write, here's that mailing address, PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Join us again tomorrow for part two of the message titled The Truth About Testing. That's Wednesday here on Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jefress. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jefress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. The apostle Paul sailed these waters, walked these streets, and the church was never the same.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: I'm inviting you to follow in Paul's footsteps on the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Cruise through the stunning Greek islands into ancient Ephesus and many other destinations as well. This is purposeful travel at its finest.
David J. Mullins: Set sail May 14, 2027. Call 888-280-6747 or visit ptv.org. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in his word. To become a Pathway partner, go to ptv.org/donate or you can follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Oh, and one last thing before we go, don't forget to reserve your spot on the 2027 Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. Now, you've heard me and Dr. Jefress talk about this Bible conference at sea and cabins. Well, they're going quickly. Just picture yourself aboard the beautiful Celebrity Infinity sailing round trip from Athens. Now, each day you'll gather for Bible teaching, worship, and fellowship, and then you'll step ashore to stand where Paul stood in Ephesus and walk the streets of Thessaloniki where his letters still speak to the church today. Nine unforgettable nights with more biblical destinations along the way. Every meal prepared, every detail taken care of, plus the joy of traveling with like-minded believers. There's also an optional pre-cruise extension in Athens. To book your spot, go to ptv.org.