**This series was started by Dr. Ed J. MacWilliams shortly before his death in 2021. He presented two messages in the series before he was unable to continue. The outlines below contain more than he had opportunity to share.
WE GET TESTED. WHY ?
–IT HELPS US KNOW WHERE WE ARE SPIRITUALLY. GOD ALREADY KNOWS.
–IT PUTS US THROUGH A DIFFICULT TIME (OF TESTING) SO WE CAN GET STRONGER.
–TESTING MAKES US MORE DEPENDENT ON THE LORD.
–TESTING LETS OTHERS SEE OUR COMMITMENT TO GOD, OR LACK OF IT.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE ACTUALLY TEST GOD, AND THINK IT WILL MAKE THEM KNOW HIM BETTER. THIS IS NOT WHAT A MATURE CHRISTIAN DOES.
TESTING GOD BY USING SCRIPTURE. THE TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS.
Luke 4:9-13 “And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, ‘If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep Thee: And in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.’ And Jesus answering said unto him, ‘It is said, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’ And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season.”
TAKING THE WORD OF GOD OUT OF CONTEXT.
People who say we must obey every law of man, even if man bans worship and evangelism. They use Scripture to do this. HOMOSEXUALS SAY THAT THEY ARE APPROVED BY GOD BECAUSE THE BIBLE SAYS TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
EVERYONE GETS TEMPTED.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
BE COMMITTED TO DOING RIGHT TO GET THROUGH THE TEMPTATION.
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.”
WHAT IS TEMPTATION ?
Hebrews 3:8 “Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:”
–NOT always a scheme to make you do something wrong.
–A TEST.
–AN EVALUATION FOR SELF.
OLD TESTAMENT: “TEMPT.” 05254 נסה nacah naw-saw’
1) to test, try, prove, tempt, assay Deuteronomy 6:16 Ye shall not tempt <05254> (8762) the LORD your God, as ye tempted <05254> (8765) him in Massah.NEW TESTAMENT “TEMPT.” 3985 πειραζω peirazo pi-rad’-zo
1) to try whether a thing can be done, to put to the test.
TEMPTING (testing) GOD. NOT A GOOD THING TO DO ! Matthew 27:49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save Him.
ISRAEL OFTEN TEMPTED GOD.
1 Corinthians 10:9 “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted <3985> (5656), and were destroyed of serpents.”
THE AWAITING DISASTER BY TEMPTING (TESTING) GOD.
“Let’s see if God will do such and such.” The railroad crossing theory. “If God doesn’t want it, He will stop it.”
Romans 14:23 “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
TEMPTING GOD TODAY:
***Praying for things that you know has already promised. For an example–“I will supply all your need according …..” Then, thinking to yourself, “Let’s see what God will do.” That leaves room for doubts. We should KNOW that God will be faithful !
WHEN SOMEONE IS TEMPTED OFTEN, OTHERS SOMETIMES SHUN THEM BECAUSE THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON.
Galatians 4:14 “And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.”
MANY TEMPTATIONS CAN BRING YOU TO DEPRESSION.
***Most testing can be avoided. Know who to be with, and where to be.
1 Peter 1:6 “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:”
IT CAN COME TO AN INDIVIDUAL OR THE WORLD.
Revelation 3:10 “Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth”
WHAT COULD BE A WORLDWIDE TEMPTATION ? CERTAIN MEDICATIONS WHICH CONTAIN TIME-RELEASED ADDITIVES. SEDUCTIVE PROMISES BY MAN THAT POINT TO ANTICHRIST. ETC.
PRAYER CAN HELP US AVOID TESTING.
Luke 22:46 “And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.”
Luke 22:40 “And when He was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.”
FAILURE TO DEVELOP SPIRIT ROOTS CAN LEAD TO GREATER TEMPTATION.
Luke 8:13 “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”
GOD TESTS US TO THAT WE AND OTHERS MAY SEE OUR OWN HEARTS.
THE TESTING OF GIDEON. STRETCHING FAITH.
Judges 7:4 “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.”
HEZEKIAH WAS TESTED. HE FAILED TO DISCERN GOOD AND EVIL.
2 Chronicles 32:31 “Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.”
***When the Lord isn’t speaking, what is left ? Do we understand that our heart is what’s left–a Godly heart, or a corrupt compromising heart.
Lamentations 3:40 “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.”
WE SHOULD TEST THE SPIRITS.
1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
GOD WILL TEST OUR WORKS BY FIRE. WHAT WILL REMAIN ?
1 Corinthians 3:13 “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”
THE FLESH IS THE WEAKEST POINT IN OVERCOMING TESTS.
THE FLESH WANTS TO LIMIT PRAYER.
THE FLESH WANTS TO AVOID EDIFICATION FROM THE BRETHREN.
THE FLESH THINKS IT HAS ENOUGH POWER ALREADY.
“Temptations”
A Bible Study Series with Dr. Ed J. MacWilliams
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