July 30, 2010 Tests 5

"Do not put the Lord your God to the test." "Test me in this!"

Good Friday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is Friday and a beauty here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. Friday and the day we pray for all those who work for our Lord Jesus, and folks, that should be everyone!! Prayers also today for Burt and Patsy Emig. Burt is having hand surgery on August 2nd, plus some other things the following week. Also pray for our neighbor, Elaine, today as she heads for surgery. Confused about my lead-in scriptures today? Come on, let's dig deeper!

Tests 5: Luke 4:12 - Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test." (NIV)

Malachi 3:8B - "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse, the whole nation of you, because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," Says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (NIV)

Brothers and sisters, all week we have been talking about tests. We looked at how Abraham was tested when told to offer his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. We talked about how God tests us, and just how we are being tested. We reviewed how we need to test ourselves, and now today we look at this. Maybe you are confused with this for it does sound like some double talk. God said don't test me, and then again He says test me. But it is not confusing if you put it like this... Don't test your God on anything except in your giving, and even then you must do it in faith.

When we look at the Book of Luke, Chapter 4: 1/13 - We see that the old devil himself is trying to tempt our Jesus and he is not making out at all for Jesus does not fall into temptation or fall for temptation and in fact tells old Satan off, so to speak. The Bible tells us that when the devil had finished all his testing and did not make out that "he left Him until an opportune time."

Now let us relate this to us, first of all we should never test our Lord God. One man tried testing God and here is how it went. It had rained and rained and the river next to the town was to flood. Firemen in their big trucks went door to door trying to get people to leave a low area. They talked to this one man who said I am not leaving, I am in love with God and He said He will always take care of me. The firemen left. The next day the water had come up around the man's house and River Rescue came in a row boat and told the man to get in for the water was coming and coming. The man again said, I am in Love with God and He said He will always take care of me. River Rescue left the area. The next day the water was all around the house and up to the second floor. The man was sitting on the roof of his house when a chopper from the Coast Guard came to pluck the man off the roof. Again the man told those National Guardsmen that He loved God and God will take care of Him always. The Chopper left and the house washed away and the man drowned. Later in Heaven the man came upon Jesus and said, Jesus you said you would always be with me and protect me. Jesus answered, I also told you not to TEST ME, but even with that sir and I know You loved me and still do, I did send you firemen with a fire truck, river rescue with a boat and the Coast Guard with a Chopper, did you expect more??

This story, made up as it is, does relate just how God helps us. We depend on those rescue people to help us out of trouble, we depend on workers to build us a house, we depend on doctors to help with our sickness and healing, we depend on farmers to grow and supply food, we depend on mechanics to fix our cars, and so on it goes. Who do you think lends all those folks we depend on their talent? TALENT ON LOAN FROM GOD, Don't TEST God, brothers and sisters, just have faith in His word and lean on Him. After all, folks, if you love Jesus and are a sky diver you still put on the chute, right?

One more thing from this scripture... While Jesus did go with the devil he would not bow to temptation, we, we, we, all of us, need to do our best to stay away from the master of evil and his workers for we will not always have the strength to fight the temptation, and again we do not want to TEST God to protect us from evil when we walk into those places on purpose.

Now let's look at Malachi and here we find the one exception on testing God... "Test me on this." Said the Lord Almighty. And folks, we must remember that if we are going to TEST God on this we must do it in faith. If you say to yourself, "self" I am going to put a $100 bill in the plate on Sunday and get back $1,000 on Monday, that is not giving to God in faith. Just give from your blessing and give from your heart and wallet or from your heart and from the pantry shelves, or give of your time, etc., but always give in faith and you will be blessed over and over again. An example that just happened to us... Last week on Wednesday we packed out a lot of food for a fire victim and sent it to their new apartment, that same evening we went and picked up food at a peewee football camp. We got at least ten times the amount of food in as what went out, in fact I estimated we got in over a ton of can goods.

The bottom line is have faith in God, have faith in God when He tests us, Have faith in God when we give to Him, have faith in God in our daily walk. Just have faith in God in all you do.

Thank You, Dear Heavenly Father, for all You do for us, I love You, Lord, and I want to pass all the tests You put me under. I want to walk with You each day. I want to walk in the light of Jesus and I pray all on this line want to do the same. Lord, be with all those who are working for You as commanded in Your Word. I pray that You will be with Elaine today and heal her, and be with Patsy and Burt, and also with their friend Barbara. Be with Pearl's family, and Lord, please heal my wife. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Now go forth, trusting in God and having faith in Him as you share those blessings He has given you. Have a blessed weekend, Love ya. Pastor Dan.

PS. I am preaching at Bethel United Methodist Church on route 850 outside of Marysville at 8:00 AM. It is an outside service. Then again at the Bridges of Bent Creek at 10:00 AM two different messages, so come to both...
Directions... Call me 717 691 8200