Has Your Faith Been Tested

Sermon Synopsis

I’m not talking about the test of a rude driver or a surly waitress. I’m talking about a real test. Have you been persecuted for your faith? Have you been denigrated because of your beliefs? Have you been overlooked for a promotion because you follow Jesus? If your faith has been tested like this, how did you respond? Did you get mad and ugly? Did you retaliate? Did you whine and complain? Or, did you rejoice and embrace the test as a gift from God? Can the testing of our faith be a gift from God? Let’s ask the Apostle Peter: So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. One sentence in there catches my eye. Peter says, “The trials you face will show that your faith is genuine.” In other words, God allows our faith to be tested so we can see if it’s genuine. God already knows if we’re real followers of Jesus or counterfeit followers of Jesus. In Daniel’s day, God used the godless Babylonians as His testing agent. Today, He’s using the godless culture around us. But here’s the bottom line – A counterfeit faith will never survive the pressures of Babylon!