The Truth About Testing – Part 2

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 Jeffress. 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 Jeffress, 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. Maybe like Jesus and Paul, you have prayed over and over again, Lord, deliver me out of this problem. And up to this point, God has said, no. My plan is to take you through this problem. If that's true for you, if it appears that God's plan for your life is for you to go through this difficulty, let me share with you three timeless truths about testing.
David J. Mullins: Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, every day you and I are faced with difficult situations, but the outcome of our trials depends entirely on our response. Will we let Satan use those hardships to destroy us, or let God use them to strengthen our faith? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress teaches us how to pray for protection through life's problems. 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. As we begin today, I want to personally invite you to join me on one of the most meaningful vacations you'll ever take. May 14th through the 23rd, 2027, the Pathway to Victory family is setting sail on a Mediterranean cruise, and I'd love for you to join the fun. We're calling it the Journeys of Paul Tour. We'll walk the same biblical sites where the early church was born, explore the ancient ruins of Ephesus, and sail the same waters the Apostle Paul once crossed. Reserve your spot today by going to PTv.org. Well, it's a rare day on Pathway to Victory because I have the privilege of offering you a book that's written not by me, but by one of my dear family members. It's called You Can Pray Big Things. My daughter Julia and her husband Ryan blessed the Jeffress family with triplets. Julia is a prayer warrior, and she's determined to help her triplets understand how to pray big things. And so she's written a fully illustrated storybook for families everywhere. Moms, dads, grandparents, it's our privilege to teach our children how to pray. So this book is for you and the child you love. I'd be happy to send you her book when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Oh, when you respond today, I'll also include a book that I've written for adults. It's called Spiritual Essentials: How to Study the Bible, How to Pray. More details later. Right now, let's give our complete attention now to Matthew chapter 6 and the Lord's Prayer. I titled today's message The Truth About Testing. Matthew chapter 6 verse 13. If you would, turn there as we look at the truth about testing. Today is the final message in our series on the Lord's Prayer, a series I've called Prayers that Really Work. 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? How many of you would say, well, that convinces me, or,
Guest (Male): Pastor, I am 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. 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 into 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. 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 tests 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. The meaning of the word depends upon its context. In James 1, James uses that same word to mean both things. In James 1:2, he says, consider 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. 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? 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. 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 of the Great Adventure, David Jeremiah lists 4 specific exemptions we ought to ask God for from dangers. He said, first of all, we ought to pray for an exemption from persecution. We ought to ask God to exempt us from persecution. You know, in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus said to his disciples, now when you are persecuted for your faith, rejoice, for great is your reward. 5 chapters later, in chapter 10, he says, now when persecution comes, run for the hills. Why did he say that? He said it because he knew persecution could strengthen somebody's faith, but it could also destroy somebody's faith. David prayed for exemption from persecution in Psalm 7, verses 1 and 2. David prayed, O Lord my God, in thee I have taken refuge. Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me, lest he tear my soul like a lion, dragging me away while there is none to deliver. Second, we ought to pray for an exemption from danger. Now listen to the request of David in Psalm 22, verses 19 to 21. But you, O Lord, be not far off. O my strength, come quickly to help me. Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of lions, save me from the horns of the wild oxen. Now, when's the last time you prayed that prayer? Lord, deliver me from the dogs, from the oxen, from the lions. We don't pray those prayers because they don't represent real dangers to us, unless, you know, you go to the Dallas Zoo and something gets loose at the zoo, you're probably okay from the tigers and the bears and the lions and so forth. But in David's day, those were very real dangers. And David said, you ought to pray that God saves you from danger. Today, if David were telling us how to pray, he would say, you ought to pray this way. Lord, deliver me from cancer. Spare me from muggers. Save me from those SUVs that come whoring past me on the Dallas North Tollway. Save me. Protect me. We pray for an exemption from danger. Thirdly, we ought to pray for an exemption from poverty. Some people are surprised that I would say that, but that's a biblical prayer. Lord, keep me from going through financial difficulty. In Psalm 33, verses 18 and 19, David prayed, Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope for his loving kindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in time of famine. Fourth, David tells us we ought to pray for an exemption from fear. Don't let fear overwhelm me. How many of you have ever had this situation? You're sitting at your computer working or maybe enjoying just some family time together, having a great time, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this alien thought comes into your mind. What if this happens? What if this happens? What if this happens? And suddenly, your sense of well-being is strangled and you are paralyzed by fear. Everybody experiences that. David had his own anxiety issues, and that's why in Psalm 34, verse 4, he prayed, he said, I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and he delivered me from all my fears. 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'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. There's some of you here this morning, some watching on television right now. You're facing the single greatest challenge you have ever faced before in your life. Maybe it's the breakup of a relationship. Maybe it's a rebellious child. It may be the loss of a job. It may be the loss of a dream. And right now, it's during this time that you feel separated from God. And maybe like Jesus and Paul, you have prayed over and over again, Lord, deliver me out of this problem. And up to this point, God has said, no. My plan is to take you through this problem. If that's true for you, if it appears that God's plan for your life is for you to go through this difficulty, let me share with you three timeless truths about testing that will help you, especially those of you right now who are right in the middle of a crucible of testing. When you're going through this time of testing, God chooses not to exempt you from suffering, but to have you experience it. Remember these 3 things. First of all, tests do not take God by surprise. Tests do not take God by surprise. Whether God directly caused the difficulty you're experiencing, whether he allowed Satan to cause it, or whether your problem is just, you know, the result of your own stupidity, sometimes we suffer for our own stupidity, don't we? But whatever the cause, the catalyst for your suffering, it didn't take God by surprise. In Psalm 139, David said, every detail of every day of our lives were written in God's book before we ever breathed our first breath. Isn't that an amazing thought? Before the foundation of the world, he wrote down every detail of our life. But listen to this. God not only knew every detail of your life, God has planned every detail of your life for a great eternal purpose. When you go through that failed marriage, when you go through that bankruptcy, when you go through that loss of an important relationship in your life, when you're going through cancer, God doesn't slap his forehead and say, oh, I can't believe that happened. What are we going to do now? Doesn't take God by surprise. These things that come into your life, listen to this, are not detours from God's plan for your life. They are a part of God's plan for your life. A plan for your good, a plan for the strengthening of your faith. I love the words of Alan Redpath, who wrote, there is nothing, no circumstance, no trouble, no testing that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has come past God, past Christ, right through to me. And if it's come that far, it has come with a great purpose. Aren't those great words? God's tests never take God by surprise. Secondly, tests are evidence of God's love for us. The tests that come into our lives are evidence of God's love for us. Here's an interesting fact. Search through the Bible, and you never find God testing the ungodly. There's no instance that God ever tested the heathen nations, only Israel. Furthermore, he never tested unbelievers, only believers. Take, for example, Job. The opening verse of his story reads this way: There was a man named Job who was an upright man who feared God and turned away from evil. That was Job. And yet, for this upright man, God planned a test. Or think about Abraham. He was known as the friend of God. Here was Abraham, a life of faithfulness from the time of 75 on, and yet in Genesis chapter 22 it says, and God tested Abraham. He tested his friend Abraham. Why? Not to destroy his faith, but to strengthen it. F. B. Meyer has written, tests are God's vote of confidence in us. Tests are God's vote of confidence in us. God never tests the unfaithful, but only the faithful. They are evidence of his love for me. And number three, tests are momentary, but God's faithfulness is forever. Tests are momentary, but God's faithfulness is forever. In his book, A Grace Disguised, Gerald Sittster tells about his struggle to make sense out of an automobile accident that took the life of his wife, his daughter, and his mother all at the same time. Listen to what he writes. Loss creates a barren present as if one were sailing on a vast sea of nothingness. Those who suffer loss live suspended between a past for which they long and a future for which they hope. They want to return to the harbor of the familiar past and recover what was lost, or they want to sail on and discover a meaningful future that promises to bring them life again. Instead, they find themselves living in a barren present that is empty of meaning. There are some of you here today who can identify with those words. You've lost something important to you. You feel like you're on that sea of nothingness, and you have some serious questions about God. God, do you know about my situation? Do you care about my situation? Do you even exist? Corrie ten Boom said, if you're on a train that is going through a dark tunnel, you don't throw away your ticket and jump off the train. Instead, you trust the engineer. There's some of you right now who are going through that tunnel of testing. This is not the time to abandon your faith to jump off. Jesus said this is the time to trust the engineer to lead you safely to the other side. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Let's bow together in a word of prayer. I realize that today's message has been for Christians, but I also know for some of you listening by radio who may not yet be a Christian, you feel a distance between you and God. You can't picture God as that daddy, that papa that Jesus talked about. If you feel that distance is there, it's because it really is there. The Bible says sin has created a barrier between God and us. It's a barrier we can't climb over, but here's the good news of the gospel. It's a barrier that Jesus knocked down when he died on the cross for our sins. The whole reason Jesus was willing to go through that horrific experience of the cross was to take the punishment you and I deserve for our sins. And today, if you're not a Christian, the most important decision you could make would be to trust in Jesus to save you from your sins, to trust in him and him alone for eternal life. And the Bible says when you put your full faith and trust in Jesus, he not only forgives you of your sins, but you become a part of his family. No longer are you an enemy of God, you're a child of God. You can come to him to talk to him about anything. And today, if you would like to trust in Christ to be your savior, if today you're ready to become a Christian, say, Pastor, I'm ready to become a Christian. Maybe you've already made that decision privately, but you need to make it publicly today. And then to be baptized is a sign of your faith in Christ. There are some of you who need to come and join the fellowship of church. When, not if, but when you go through trials, they're coming. God never intended for you to go through them alone. That's why he created the church, so that you could be surrounded by Christians who will stand with you, pray for you, encourage you through those inevitable trials in your life. Maybe I'm speaking to someone, you're going through that tunnel of testing right now. Maybe you would say, Pastor, I don't understand why this is happening, but today I'm going to trust God to work out his perfect plan in my life. My prayer is that I would remain faithful during this time of testing. For some of you, that's the most important thing you could do, just to come down and say, Pastor, pray for me. I'm going through that tunnel of testing in my life. Father, how we thank you that you're a God who's not surprised by anything. You're a God who has a wonderful eternal plan for those who know Christ. Father, I believe you're speaking to some who need to come and trust Christ for the first time. Some who need to come and just say, God, I'm trusting you. Father, I pray no one would resist your Holy Spirit's invitation, for it's in the saving name of Christ we pray. Amen.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: As your radio pastor and Bible teacher, I long for you to experience the power of prayer. Even in times of testing, God wants to engage with you. He wants to hear your joys and sorrows. As a pastor for more than 40 years, this is one of the most common questions I hear. Pastor Jeffress, how should I talk to God? Sometimes we can't find the words to express what's really on our hearts. Maybe you feel that way too. Well, that's why I want to send you two resources. The first is my book, Spiritual Essentials: How to Study the Bible, How to Pray. In about 50 pages, I share the very approach I've used for years to hear from God in his word and to talk with him in prayer. It's practical, it's personal, and it includes a simple plan to help you get started. The second is for the little ones you love, my daughter Julia's book, You Can Pray Big Things. With delightful full color illustrations, simple prayers, and scripture, it teaches children that no request is too big or too small for God. It even helps them understand what to do when an answer seems slow and invites them to receive Christ as Savior. Read it together at bedtime and watch prayer become a joyful habit. It's a wonderful Christmas gift too. Both books are yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. And when you visit ptv.org, you can also learn how to receive multiple copies of Julia's book, one for each of the children in your life. In closing, let me say that Pathway to Victory has enjoyed a marvelous season of growth this year because people just like you have stepped forward to support the ministry. Please keep up the good work because we're making headway in piercing the darkness with the light of God's word. 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 Jeffress Sadler's book for children, You Can Pray Big Things. Plus, you'll also receive Dr. Jeffress's 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 dollars 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. Have you ever started praying for someone but found yourself at a loss for words? Join us again Thursday when Dr. Robert Jeffress provides a biblical blueprint for life-transforming communication with God, right here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. 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. Jeffress 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 biblical 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.