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A God Who Tests Faith – Pastor

Today, we will discuss the God who tests faith. We must know God, and we must understand what God is doing. If we do not know what God is doing and only pay attention to what we think, we cannot live well. Everyone must know this God, understand the laws He has created, know how He works, and finally, follow God's laws to live a good life. It is a pitiful thing for people not to know God. People always think that they toil away their whole lives and then it's over. Is that really the case? Of course not.

The Bible is the most printed book in the world. The Chinese Bible has an annual print run of twenty million copies, and the overall sales volume is incalculable. It is indeed a pity if we do not read this book. Last Sunday, my topic was A New Person Can Do All Things. I particularly like speaking about faith because faith is so important to people. When people are in despair, what they need most is someone to boost their faith. Even if the problem is not yet solved, it is already resolved in their hearts, and they are no longer so troubled.

All Things Are Possible for Those Who Believe

The Lord Jesus is the true God who controls all things in the universe and came to earth in the flesh. Can what He says be wrong? If you are a believer in Jesus, you must believe what Jesus says. But there are many Christians in the world who do not believe what Jesus says. Such people are truly pitiful; they are more pitiful than those who do not read the Bible. The good thing about the Lord Jesus' words is that they are absolute, but people in the world do not like absolute things; they prefer relative things. If Jesus' words were relative, like a ruler made of rubber bands, they would not be accurate at all and could not be used. Because a good ruler has an absolute standard, it measures things accurately. The words of the Lord Jesus are the same. Even if some people do not believe, what does it matter? I still believe!

Some people always like to say ambiguous things. There is an element of ambiguity in our Chinese culture. Some people disagree when they see the Lord Jesus say that all things are possible for those who believe. Not only do they disagree, but they also criticize those of us who believe this, and even criticize the Lord Jesus. They criticize us for not being so absolute. They gave me a difficult problem, asking if I could create a stone that I could not lift. This question stumped me. But I believe that if the Lord Jesus were among us, He would have the wisdom to answer this question.

I believe that the gospel is not for answering such silly questions. In the Lord Jesus' time, people also asked Him some silly questions. For example: Tell us, then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? (Matthew 22:17). The people who asked this wanted to trap Jesus, but Jesus answered: So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. (Matthew 22:21). How wise these words are! Even though it was a foolish question, the Lord Jesus still answered so well. So I believe that the question of whether God can create a stone that He cannot lift must have an answer with Jesus, I just don't know what it is. Some words sound good, but in fact, they are useless—absolutely useless! Some words sound absolute, but they are indeed practical. Why am I saying this? —Because I want to encourage everyone to start accepting a very good saying: All things are possible for those who believe.

Everyone must know that the truth, like one plus one equals two, is absolute. It cannot be like a rubber band that can be stretched as long as you want. If one plus one does not necessarily equal two and can equal many numbers, that would be troublesome. Everyone knows this simple principle, but when it comes to all things are possible for those who believe, they think it cannot be so absolute. If the Lord Jesus said, For those who believe, sometimes it is possible and sometimes it is not, what would be the use of that? It would be of no use at all.

When I first came to Singapore, I encountered great difficulties. At that time, some people told me some ambiguous things, saying things like sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, which made me feel very conflicted. Later, they said things like you can't do anything, which made me even more conflicted. If I couldn't do anything, was I supposed to wait for death? Later, I listened to the words of Christians. As a non-believer at the time, I thought what they said was very good. They said, All things are possible for those who believe. Hearing this, I felt like I saw hope, and later I came to the church. Believing this statement makes you stronger than not believing. You start to think that things can definitely turn around, that the situation can definitely change, and hope is ignited in your heart. Things concerning our lives are all included in all things.

All things should not include trivial and pedantic matters, but things concerning life are definitely included in all things. Everyone must not abuse the saying All things are possible for those who believe, because God, through your faith, accomplishes things that belong to you and build your life. If you abuse it, such as through corruption or robbing a bank, you will not only not receive blessings but will also suffer curses.

If we have faith, God will give us a definite promise, and that promise is all things are possible for those who believe. Today, if you encounter a problem as big as a mountain, you will definitely conquer it through faith. When people encounter suffering, the most deadly thing is to hear discouraging words like sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. After hearing such words, we don't know what to do. In the more than 20 years that I have believed in the Lord, I have encountered many challenges and difficulties, but thank the Lord, I have come this far by faith. Because every difficulty is a test of faith, and every time I am filled with emotion at how good the Lord Jesus' words are. I really don't know how I could live without these words. There is no road ahead, but God allows me to see the road through faith. Then, by holding onto faith, I will overcome this test. When you overcome the test, we will see the problem completely under our feet, isn't that a great blessing?

Today, what I am sharing with you is A God Who Tests Faith, so I reviewed the things I have experienced. I began to ask God, God, if in these 20 years you had given me smooth sailing and I had not encountered anything, how wonderful would that have been? But God said to me, That would not be good, because if you had not encountered anything, you would have no story to tell. Because you overcame the test of faith that I gave you, I can make you honorable and magnify your name. When I thought about it myself, it was really true! If there are still people among us facing challenges and difficulties today, I congratulate you, because your life will become wonderful because of these challenges. Why? Because after you overcome them, you will see the glory of God.

The characters recorded throughout the Bible all experienced tests of faith time and time again. If we read from Genesis to Revelation, we will see that those who overcome tests by faith will definitely receive honorable glory. Some of the characters in the Bible overcame and saw how God blessed them; but some people failed and saw the glory of God depart. It is a simple matter. From this, we will see that God delights in people who have faith. What is God doing? God is looking for treasures. When He finds them, He will test them to see if they are real.

People with Faith Are God's Treasures

Only those with true faith are treasures in God's eyes! Whether the faith is genuine can only be known by testing. Like finding a piece of gold, how do you know if it is real? You bite it with your teeth. If it is hard, it is copper; if it is soft, it is gold. So this makes us understand that everything must be tested. If you don't test it, you will be deceived, mistaking gold for copper, and wouldn't that be a loss? God sees us and will definitely test us. God tests to see whether we believe or not. Those who believe can do all things. If you hesitate whether to believe or not, there will be no effect at all, so God often tests us. In fact, many things in our lives must be tested. If we don't test them, we won't know what is true or false. If we have true faith, God will give us a crown and we will become a blessing to many people. We must imitate those who have faith in the Bible, because God magnified the names of these people.

God Will Magnify Your Name

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart. (Proverbs 17:3)

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for often testing our faith. Today, through our mouths, may your truth be expressed, and may your words be like light on the road, illuminating the path ahead. When our brothers and sisters are facing trials, Lord, please add strength to them so that they may overcome all trials with faith, like Abraham who was willing to offer his son Isaac. May they become victorious in the face of trials. Lord, we thank you and praise you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

Everyone must remember that everything must be tested! If we make a friend, if we don't test them, we won't know if they are a friend. Some people tell me that Chinese people are scammed overseas, and most of them are scammed by their own people. This is really hateful. Who do they scam? They scam those who believe them, thinking they are friends, but without being tested, don't assume they are friends. It is the same in our church. Only after being tested can we know whether a person is of one heart and mind with us in building God's glorious church. Without being tested, we cannot know at all. I thank God that God often gives me such grace. He says to me, You must test them. So I often test our brothers and sisters. Sometimes I will wrong them to see how they react. Some people, after being wronged, will start to doubt my motives. Sometimes I will say things that are not very pleasant to hear, but some people still continue to believe what I say and continue to build the church with me. I dare to use such people and let them be leaders. We have all come this way.

One pastor said to me, Do you know how the church is built? It is built by training! Only those who can be trained can be used. It turns out that our God is also like this. He does not use those who have not been tested. Abraham was tested. What was he tested on? God asked him to sacrifice his son. As a result, Abraham believed God, because God promised that Abraham's descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky, but God asked him to sacrifice his only son. Shouldn't God's actions be so contradictory? But Abraham believed that God would definitely resurrect his son. We cannot imagine this matter at all, but that is what is so amazing about Abraham. Another very amazing person is Isaac. It is hard for us to believe that Isaac would obediently allow himself to be tied up by his father and offered to God. That is the extraordinary thing about this father and son. They were people that the world was not worthy of. If we can be like them, we will definitely become extraordinary people. Until today, wherever there is belief in Jesus, the name of Abraham will be praised, so our God is the God of Abraham.

Grain and Chaff

John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Luke 3:16-17)

If God wants to build His kingdom, He will choose those who can be used. What kind of people can be used? —People who have faith. As a result, Abraham accomplished extraordinary things in that generation. Everyone clearly saw that God was with Abraham. That is really remarkable! Merchants like to process food to make it bright and beautiful, because it is very attractive to sell that way, but it is done by soaking it in chemical solutions. So in the generation we live in today, everything must be tested. If we don't test it, we don't know what we are eating and drinking. So what exactly is God doing? Some people are grain, some people are chaff, and the Holy Spirit and fire are needed to test these people. God does not need bad people. What God needs are people who have faith.

In the process of living in this world today, when we encounter suffering, we often say, This is an attack of the devil, this is a temptation of the devil. But I thank God, because only through the attacks and temptations of the devil can we distinguish true faith from false faith. People with false faith are very unreliable. They are the chaff that God throws out. We should not exaggerate the works of the devil, but should hold firm to the faith of Jesus Christ and not be stumbled in this faith. Those who have great faith, God will magnify your name. So that is why Jacob's whole family bowed down to Joseph, because Joseph's faith was great. The size of faith determines the size of position, because Joseph endured the test of faith, working as a slave for ten years and doing labor for three years, before becoming the prime minister of Egypt. That is God's wonderful grace. These hardships did not defeat Jacob's faith. Many of us have never been slaves, but our faith has always been defeated.

Abraham's offering of Isaac was the highest point of God testing Abraham's faith. After that, God no longer tested Abraham, because God already knew that his faith was genuine. From then on, He would make his name great and his nation a great nation. Brothers and sisters, do not fail at the first test of faith. You must know that overcoming the trials of faith will bring blessings. Therefore, the Bible records that God blessed Abraham every time he overcame a trial. Among us, there are brothers and sisters whom God will test to find the highest point, and from then on, you will see God's great blessings.

Overcoming Trials Brings Blessings

Abraham opened a path of faith that overcomes trials. Our God is a God who tests people's faith. He chose Abraham and tested him again and again. For example, God brought Abraham to Canaan and said that this was the land He would bless him with, but the second year after the blessing, there was a famine. God had just blessed Abraham, saying that Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey, but there was nothing, only famine. Later, his family fled to Egypt, and his wife was taken captive by Pharaoh. One unfortunate event followed another, but Abraham never complained and completely entrusted himself to God. Abraham was not powerless, but prayed desperately because he believed in God. His faith was truly great, and as a result, he received many blessings upon returning from Egypt.

Once Christians overcome the trials of faith, blessings follow. Our church has come from a very desolate state. At that time, there was no hope in sight. Looking back today, it is unimaginable how we have come to where we are. Abraham saw his descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky through that barren land. He often stood on that barren land and looked up at the stars, even though he had no son yet! But he believed in God's promise, so Abraham's faith is truly worthy of our emulation. Four thousand years later, we see the great Jewish people, because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob accomplished extraordinary things in their generation.

Abraham taking his servants to rescue Lot was a test of faith. Abraham remembered God's previous promise to him. God's word had not yet been fulfilled, and he believed he would not die. As a result, he drove away the four kings and rescued his nephew Lot. After that, Abraham began to see the work God was doing in him. Later, God appeared to Abraham and said that his descendants would be slaves in Egypt for four hundred years, but Abraham had no complaints. It is difficult to imagine what kind of person Abraham was. If Jehovah appeared to us one day and said that our descendants would be slaves in Egypt for four hundred years, we must not complain, because this is God's wondrous work. This is the most remarkable thing about Abraham: he believed that God is a good God, and everything God does in him is beautiful.

Abraham walked for three days with Isaac to offer him as a sacrifice. These three days were a journey of mental torment. His only son, whom he had at the age of one hundred, was about to be lost. This was so agonizing, but Abraham believed that his son would be resurrected from the dead. Such faith can truly accomplish extraordinary things in the world! If we encounter something that cannot be accomplished, but we believe in faith that God can accomplish it, that is faith like Abraham's, where the impossible becomes possible. If Jesus Christ has been resurrected, and we humans today still do not believe that people can be resurrected from the dead, then we are far from Abraham. In Abraham's time, no one had ever heard of anyone being resurrected from the dead. He had not seen Jesus die and be resurrected, but he believed that his son would be resurrected from the dead. As a result, when he raised his knife, the angel of God stopped him, and God provided a lamb to replace his son as a sacrifice. I think this represents God's Son dying for us, becoming our atoning lamb, which is Jesus Christ.

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:15-18)

This one trial reached the highest point of testing faith, and from then on, God no longer tested Abraham. When we completely offer ourselves, God will give us great blessings. Abraham's path of victory is a path of complete surrender. If we live for ourselves, we cannot live well. Look at those who have completely dedicated themselves. Is there any who does not live well? When we completely dedicate ourselves, God is only testing our faith. When we have such faith, will God really take our lives? God will not take our lives. God wants us to have faith. If we become a blessing to many people, will we still be lacking? We must come out of the trivialities of daily life and begin to become a blessing to many people. If we have such a desire, God will surely use you greatly.

There was a ship with many people on it. A wealthy woman fell into the water. The people on the ship began to call for help, but no one reached out to save her. When she was about to drown, someone on the ship finally jumped into the water and rescued her. People on the shore scolded the people on the ship for failing to help. The people on the ship said, If I had tried to save her while she was struggling, I would have been entangled by her, and in the end, we both might have drowned. When she was too weak to struggle, I went to save her, and we were both safe. When we are struggling, if God comes to save us, God will also be entangled by us, and then God will not be able to save us. If we want to save someone, we must wait until they have completely given up. In fact, God is the same. When we completely surrender, God will deliver us.

Among us, there are many brothers and sisters who have completely surrendered themselves, and they lack nothing. Their salaries are rising, and their lives are very happy. On the contrary, those who live for work find life more and more difficult. Even if this job is lost, God will surely prepare a better job for us. Therefore, the most important foundation for overcoming trials is complete surrender. When Isaac was very young, Abraham instilled in him the idea that our family is a family that lives by faith. So Isaac wanted to walk the path of victory from a young age. Isaac did not experience too many trials in his life. Why is that? Because he was a person who dedicated himself from a young age, so he did not experience as many trials as Abraham. Isaac's son, Jacob, was also such a person. No matter what difficult circumstances he encountered, he still had hope in his faith when there was no hope. This is the characteristic of Abraham's family.

So today, the God we speak of is always connected with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, called the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, because the faith in them has been tested. After we have been tested, God will do one thing, and that is that God will connect His name with our name. Do you know why God does so many miracles in our lives? It is because our names are connected. Some churches tell us not to steal God's glory, saying that it is God who does it, not us. They separate us from God, so our hands cannot do anything. But what our church inherits is that we are with God, and God's glory is our glory, so when we declare in the name of Jesus, miracles happen.

Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. (Matthew 10:41)

From today onwards, we must imitate Abraham. Do not separate ourselves from God's name. So we must boldly speak out about what God does through us. The more we say this, the more God will use us greatly. Today I begin to encourage church leaders and group leaders to change their观念 and boldly speak out about what God has done through our hands, because God wants our name to be great. After the prayer meeting on Friday night, Sister FW brought her mother to the video call and asked me to pray for her mother. Her mother had been suffering from various ailments for many years and was very miserable. So I led her in prayer, inviting Jesus Christ into her life. The evil spirits of death inside her were very powerful. That night's prayer was truly an intense battle. After the battle, her mother felt much better than before. Her mother said that she had never felt so good before. Although the current problem has not been completely resolved, in my faith, FW's mother will be completely healed.

It is not only Abraham who can have his name connected with God, but all those who are like Abraham will be like this. So our God will become the God of Abraham and the God of all people. When we overcome the trials of faith, we must begin to expect good things to happen in our lives. Among us, there are many brothers and sisters who are undergoing trials. Do not give up, hold on tightly to God, and do not retreat. Because if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. (Hebrews 10:38) So we only have one way to go, and that is to go upwards. When a trial comes, overcome it, step by step. God will train you and let you completely surrender. Chapters 44 to 45 of Genesis are about Joseph testing his brothers to see if they are willing to surrender themselves to God. If we completely surrender, we will surely see things happen on our bodies without any danger.

Overcoming Trials Brings Honor

So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:7)

In the Bible, many people who met Abraham called him a noble king. Brothers and sisters, do not think that God is joking with us. God makes us noble princes, so that the people around us can see that there are many stories of victory in your life. No matter what threats or intimidation you encounter, you do not need to care, because God wants us to gain honour and glory. God is a glorious God, and He only needs us to gain glory like Him. If we are victorious, the angels in heaven will rejoice with us. So are there any who have failed in this test? Of course, there are, and there are many. So I encourage everyone to begin to imitate Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and aim at the path they walked and begin to run. This path is the path to gain honour and glory. If faith fails, we will continue to train, and we must walk the path of victory in every test of faith.

God Wants You to Be Blessed Forever

who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. (Deuteronomy 8:16)

God's intention is for us to enjoy blessings, not to suffer. Those who suffer are those who have been defeated in the test of faith. If Jacob lost the battle, he would be poor for the rest of his life. Today, no matter what situation we are in, we must be victorious in faith. We must carefully observe and follow God's way.

And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:2-3)

If we believe that we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord, we will gain honour and glory. God's original intention is also so. God wants you to be blessed forever! From now on, start to be victorious!