APPROVED OF GOD

Raphael Oye Taiwo

Unity Christ Evangelical Ministry (UCEM)

www.ucevam.com

Lesson Six

1.1.           God tests people. 1 Cor 11:19. God tests His people to see if they are worthy of His call, His anointing, His spiritual gifts, His trust and confidence, and His eternal glory. If they pass the tests, they receive His certificate of approval. If they fail, he rejects them. They may make heaven because of their faith in the Saviour and trust in the Calvary work of Jesus. But they will live in eternity as losers saved only by grace, not as rewarded overcomers.

1.1.1.   God tested Abraham. God wanted to know if Abraham really loved and feared Him. He knew if he did, he would follow Him, come what may, and obey him implicitly.

1.1.1.1.               God said to Abraham, ‘Get thee out of thy contry, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing’ Gen 12:1-2. Abraham obeyed without questioning or hesitating. But God gave him neither the land nor ason, the greatest possession any man would desire in those days, immediately. He lived in the land like a stranger, living in mere tent (Heb.11: 9). For a long time, the promised son never came. Many people of God today would have changed their mind and stopped listening to God, long before Isaac came (Heb. 11:15).

1.1.1.2.               When the son finally came, God asked Abraham to sacrifice the child, Isaac, to Him - Gen 22:1-2; Heb 11:17.

Abraham passed his tests and got God’s certificate of approval – Gen. 22:17; Gen. 15:6; Gal. 3:6.

1.1.2.   God tested Job to see if he loved and feared Him enough to remain faithful to Him in the face of adversity and in spite of great losses.

1.1.2.1.               God allowed the devil to destroy everything Job had – Job 1:13-21

1.1.2.2.               God allowed the devil to destroy Job’s health – Job 2:7-8

1.1.2.3.               God allowed Job to be forsaken – Job 2:9-10; Job 6: 14-15, 21.

Job passed the tests. In spite of everything, he declared, ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him’ Job 13:15. And he received God’s certificate of approval – Job 42:7-17

1.1.3.   God tested Moses. God had called Moses to be the deliverer of the Israelites from the Egyptian bondage. But God had to test him. He caused the prince to be driven from Egypt and the life of comfort and ease he was used to. For forty years, he was languishing in the desert of Horeb, as Jethro’s herdsman (Exo.2: 11-15). A man could not get lower than the Lord caused Moses to get. So horrendous was his experience after leaving Egypt that even his tongue that had been trained in Egypt to speak fluently was affected (Acts 7:22 + Ex. 3:10). He lost all self-confidence (Ex. 3:11; Ex. 4:1). But he did not forsake the God of the Hebrews. Finally, he got God’s certificate of approval.

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