The acid test of faith "What's the point? He will ...?"
Jam. 1:1-18; Psalm 73
I. The meaning of the word
(greek peirazein)
a) try, try
(b) test, put to the test to determine what kind of person is
1: General: The church in Ephesus has tested alleged apostles and exposed them as liars (Rev 2:2).
2: in a good sense: God and Christ test people so that they are strengthened and prove themselves: In John 6:5 Jesus asks Philip where the bread is to come from to feed 5000 people (and waits for his trust in Jesus' possibilities!).
3: in an evil sense: to lure something out of someone that can be used against the "tempted one"! For example, Pharisees repeatedly try Jesus and ask him for a sign from heaven, or they wait for him to discover something forbidden in him.
4: in an evil sense: by the devil, who is also called the tempter He wants to destroy the work of God in man. In the parable of the fourfold field, seed also falls on the path. This means: people hear, after which the devil comes and takes the word of God out of their hearts, so that they do not believe and become saved (Lk 8:12).
5: in the wrong sense: people try God, put him to the test, whether he really is God and can do something, whether he notices sin and can prevail. For example Ps 78:41,56: "They tempted God and offended the Holy One of Israel ... and defied the Most High and provoked him to anger with their idols."
6: Incidentally, Luther repeatedly translated temptation as challenge, i.e. a fixed truth is challenged and called into question with the intention of changing or invalidating it.
II. The experimenters
God himself: Although he does not try anyone to do evil, he tests, so that it becomes clear that the tested person holds on to God even in difficult situations: for example, Abraham, who is prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac to God - and thus shows an unlimited trust in God (Genesis 22).
Times of illness and need can become times of testing, in which we get to know God better and the connection to Him becomes more intense. He wants to strengthen us and lead us on.
We humans with our desires, with our short-sighted, time-bound, godless and faithless thinking and striving. Compare James 1 (see below).
We often do not manage to live according to God's will. We are not in control of ourselves. We are trapped in our desires and lusts, imprints and emotional fluctuations. And we often become a tempter and seducer for others as well.
Satan and his angels: The Bible shows us three most serious temptations in history, in which the devil does everything possible to destroy God's work:
The temptation of the first men by the serpent, behind which Satan hides (Genesis 3). Targeted and refined questions arouse distrust of God and his good commandment. Man exceeds the limit set by God - to his own detriment. The Fall of Man has happened - the renunciation of God has been accomplished - the consequences are visible - we are far away from paradise.
- the temptation of Jesus Christ by the devil himself. In three attempts Satan tries to make himself in bondage to Jesus. Jesus is supposed to satisfy his own needs, to put his own person first, even to acknowledge the devil himself as God by worshipping him. Jesus resists all tricks. He is and remains the winner (Mt 4). Jesus was tempted in everything as we are - but without sin (Heb 4:15). And in what he is tempted, he can help those who are tempted (Heb 2:18).
3 The final temptation that comes over the whole world, from which God wants to save those who have kept the word of God's patience (Rev 3:10). This is why we pray also in the Lord's Prayer: "And lead us not into temptation".
III Concrete temptations
Five biblical case examples
The sexual temptation: Genesis 39:7ff: Joseph remains strong and flees, even if this temporarily costs him work and freedom. God remains faithful to him and raises him to the position of a leader of a state. He becomes a man of stature, blessed by God.
The religious temptation: to become autonomous, to determine for oneself who God is and where and how one should deal with him. Jeroboam, a king of Israel, arbitrarily changes the laws and orders of God and thus becomes a seducer: 1 Kings 12:25-32. It is almost proverbial that many of his followers say: He walked in the sin of Jeroboam.
- Where today are central statements of the Bible invalidated or replaced by other things?
The radical, devilish temptation: The devil wants to take all good things from us, so that we distrust God and reject him. Through illness, suffering, need and death we and our relatives and friends are to be worn down and give up (Job 1ff).
- But God knows how to save the pious from temptation. He is faithful - and no one may snatch us from his hand.
The temptation to be self-confident and overconfident: Peter thinks he can walk even the hardest path in his own strength. Only the prayer of Jesus for him protects him from great harm (Lk 22:31ff).
The temptation to lie: A married couple wants to fool the church and God. It was deadly and serves as a deterrent: Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5,1ff).
And today?
The tempter has countless methods and tricks.
He wants...
- disturb the love for God and provoke new affairs
- think peace with God is unimportant and talk small
- devalue prayer and let it run out
- take away the health and with it also the strength
- deify possession and demonstrate confidence in feasibility
- rendering Christians speechless and belittling the uniqueness of Jesus
- trivialize the sin, make it attractive and public
- to exalt man and consider God obsolete
- reinterpret, overtake, invalidate, tear up the Bible
- killing time with lots of interesting things, so that the essential things wither away.
- What about me?
We pray with King David:
IV. Help in/out temptations?
We ask the brother of Jesus and church leader of the early church in Jerusalem and read James 1:1-18!
V. 2-4: Do not be afraid of the trials! You learn from them for many situations to come. Keep at it, and you will go on and become stronger and stronger.
V. 5-8: Do not doubt God's guidance. Rather, ask for wisdom that God is happy to give. This will give you insight into his thoughts.
V. 9-11: Do not rely on perishable values and currencies. Everything passes away! He who belongs to God remains!
V. 13-16: You still need to know where temptation comes from and where it doesn't: the temptation to evil comes from ourselves - and not from God. Our covetous human thoughts work within us until they become deeds. Evil deeds have evil consequences. Sin brings death. Death is the result of sin.
V. 17-18: But from God comes good, perfect, reliable things: He has given us a new birth through Jesus and planted a new will in us through His Spirit. Now the vicious circle is broken. We have become different. Our new belonging to God brings a new protective hearing for the harmful and evil. The tempter fails and has lost! Whoever belongs to Jesus is on the safe side.
V. How do we get strong?
- Rejoice in belonging to Jesus. He is the strongest!
- Sit down and read his word regularly. In this way you will get to know his will and distinguish his voice from other leaders.
- Go with others to your services and meetings.
- Listen together to God's word, praise and sing to the Lord Jesus.
- Take part in one another and pray for one another.
- Study the Bible. The words of God give us stability and imprint God's will and standards. In this way we can recognize more quickly when danger threatens. We react more naturally and according to God!
- Memorize many words of God and pay attention to the context! The tempter also knows the Bible, but does not pay attention to the context and is annoyed about God's thoughts of salvation with us. Study the Bible! Attend Bible courses!
- Talk to God: We ask Him to protect us from wrong steps and words. -We tell and complain to Him where we have failed, and ask for forgiveness. We give thanks for a new beginning.
-Perhaps also talk to people of our trust! Together we are strong. - To unload worries and burdens from another Christian and bring them together before God. Together we call to God. Together praise him. Carrying joy and suffering together. Church is the training ground for the challenges in the life of faith. - Jesus himself stands with you now and says: "In what I myself have suffered and been tempted, I can help you where you are tempted (according to Hebr 2:18). - "I know how to save the pious from temptation" (according to 2 Peter 2:9).
CONCLUSION:
Jesus, the great high priest, can sympathize with our weakness. He has been tempted in everything as we are, but without sin (Heb 4:15).
Jesus asks the Father for you and your brothers and sisters in faith: "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from evil" (Jn 17:15).
- The good limit: "God is faithful, who does not let you be tempted by your strength, but makes sure that temptation ends so that you can bear it". (1.Cor 10:13).