NOBODY LIKES A TEST! (Is my life solid in the faith?)

II CORINTHIANS 13:5-8: “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise.” THE MESSAGE

OBSERVATION: Nobody likes a test! When I was a child growing up I hated taking tests in school. Why couldn’t we just go to class? Why did we have to do homework? Why did we have to take tests?

I think I tend to live my life in much the same way. I would prefer just to sail through life without any storms, difficulties, or tests. Rest assured life will bring all of these – and more. We don’t have to seek them out. They will come whether or not we are ready.

This is why we need to test ourselves. We can either drift along in life or we can sail through life. The difference is our faith. Paul exhorts us to test ourselves to see if we are continuing in the faith. How do we do this? We do not compare ourselves with others. We compare ourselves to our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

At first glance, this seems like an impossible assignment. Who can compare their life to Jesus Christ? Who can live up to His life and example? Who can truly walk in His footsteps? Indeed, anyone who does this type of comparison will fall short!

Yet, as we look to Jesus Christ, we are not called to strive in order to be like Jesus Christ. We are called to live by faith in Jesus Christ. This call to faith is to trust in Christ to live in us and through us. It does not depend upon our own strength. This call of faith depends entirely on His work within us!

This is how we test to see if we are in the faith. We do not measure our works on the scales of righteousness against His righteousness. All of our righteousness is as filthy rags. Rather, we test to see that we are trusting fully in His righteousness and allowing His love to transform us and work through us.

What happens when we test ourselves and find ourselves lacking? What happens when we find ourselves drifting from the faith? What happens when we begin to see more of ourselves and less of Jesus?

• “Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.”

Do something about it! That is what we are called to do when we begin to drift from our faith when we seem to be failing the test. We don’t merely drift along hopelessly, aimlessly, without direction. What do we do? We run to the cross! We run to the only one who can deliver us! We run to Jesus Christ our Lord!

• “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9

We all fall short. We all fail the test. Yet, we all have been given the same provision and call. When we begin to drift we do not have to become shipwrecked! We can run to Jesus! We can find forgiveness, cleansing, and strength in Him! Then, we can return to living our life, not in the power of our human strength, but in the power of the Holy Spirit and of Jesus Christ in me – the hope of glory!

Am I in the faith? Am I trusting in Christ? Am I seeking only His righteousness? The answer can be found in the direction of my heart and in the experience of the fruit of the Spirit, the life of Christ growing in my heart and my life. Is my life transcendent or is it tied to the weakness of my own limitations.

• “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3-4

• “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh…(For) the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.” Galatians 5:16,22-25

This is the test! This is the goal! This is the secret to living a life that is transcendent, that lifts us up beyond our human limitations and allows us to experience the life of Jesus Christ within.

Faith in Christ alone is the test, the answer, and our only hope!

Lord, this morning I confess that I find myself lacking. I often find myself drifting. I confess my sin and my need for You. Live in me by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Help me to live and walk after the Holy Spirit. By grace, through faith, in Your life within me – live through me. Lord Jesus Christ, let Your life, Your Holy Spirit, and Your fruit, be evident in my life as I place my trust fully in You!

In Jesus’ Name!