TRIALS / TEMPTATIONS / DISCIPLINE

 INTENTION:

I grew up feeling that it was the Lord always bringing (or “allowing”) hardships on my life—always testing me over and over again. Of which I always seemed to fail.

But this is not the case: it is “the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy”.

It’s not God testing you to whom you are in this world; it’s this world that is testing you to whom you are in Christ.

There is freedom knowing God is not out to test, tempt, or physically discipline you.

    ( DOWNLOAD BIBLE STUDY AS PDF ) 

 

I.            TOPIC:

We want to look at Trials / Temptations / Discipline. Who brings trials and temptations into our lives—is it God? And then does He also punish us through harsh discipline?

We learned in Bible Study Lesson 005 about God’s peace and us having peace with Him (plus all the other lessons clarifying the Character and Nature of God). If God is Good, Love, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Peace, and Grace, why would we believe God is out to punish me—and even moreso, believe that He is the one testing, trying, and tempting us to fail to then justify some kind of punishment to us? We must let go that God does these things!

We will look at several scriptures following, and even correct some poor translations that can make us think God is willing and able to whip us into correction. God’s wrath and anger for any and all humans was exacted onto Jesus Christ Himself—the Lord actually enjoyed doing that for our benefit: “It pleased the Lord to crush Him” (Isaiah 53). So, we need to accept that God is not the one trying, testing, tempting, nor physically disciplining us.

·         Refer also:   https://cbadenhorst.blogspot.com/2017/05/raising-children-as-lord-raises-us.html

https://cbadenhorst.blogspot.com/2016/05/trials-by-flesh-05-20-16.html

Bible Study Lesson 024 – God Allowed It?

Bible Study Lesson 029 – The Thief (Discernment & Battle)

Bible Study Lesson 031 – Our Responsibility (With the Lord)

Bible Study Lesson 039 – Your Adversary

Bible Study Lesson 044 – Our Duality (Flesh & Spirit)

 

II.            READING:    James 1:1-25 (NLV) {PoG}

This letter is from James. I am a servant owned by God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I greet the twelve family groups of the Jewish nation living in many parts of the world.

2 My Christian brothers, you should be happy when you have all kinds of tests {G3986}. 3 You know these prove {G1383} your faith. It helps you not to give up. 4 Learn well how to wait so you will be strong and complete and in need of nothing.

5 If you do not have wisdom, ask God for it. He is always ready to give it to you and will never say you are wrong for asking. 6 You must have faith as you ask Him. You must not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave which is pushed around by the sea. 7 Such a man will get nothing from the Lord. 8 The man who has two ways of thinking {belief and unbelief together (Mark 9:23-24)} changes in everything he does.

9 A Christian brother who has few riches of this world should be happy for what he has. He is great in the eyes of God. 10 But a rich man should be happy even if he loses everything. He is like a flower that will die. 11 The sun comes up with burning heat. The grass dries up and the flower falls off. It is no longer beautiful. The rich man will die also and all his riches will be gone. 12 The man who does not give up when tests {G3986} come is happy. {Because (G3754) he is accepted (G1384) and holds (G2983)} the crown of life. God has promised this to those who love Him.

13 When you are tempted {G3985} to do wrong, do not say, “God is tempting {G3985} me.” God cannot be tempted {G551}. He will never tempt {G3985} anyone. 14 A man is tempted {G3985} to do wrong when he lets himself be led by what his bad thoughts tell him to do. 15 When he does what his bad thoughts tell him to do, he sins. When sin completes its work, it brings death.

16 My Christian brothers, do not be fooled about this. 17 Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God. He is the One Who made all light. He does not change. No shadow is made by His turning. 18 He gave us our new lives through the truth of His Word only because He wanted to. We are the first children in His family.

19 My Christian brothers, you know everyone should listen much and speak little. He should be slow to become angry.

20 A man’s anger does not allow him to be right with God. 21 Put out of your life all that is unclean and wrong. Receive with a gentle spirit the Word that was taught. It has the power to save your souls from the punishment of sin.

22 Obey the Word of God. If you hear only and do not act, you are only fooling yourself. 23 Anyone who hears the Word of God and does not obey is like a man looking at his face in a mirror. 24 After he sees himself and goes away, he forgets what he looks like. 25 But the one who keeps looking into God’s perfect Law and does not forget it will do what it says and be happy as he does it. God’s Word makes men free.

 

III.            RELATED VERSES AND QUESTIONS:

A.      Matthew 4:1-11 (NLV)

Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to a desert. There He was tempted by the devil. 2 Jesus went without food for forty days and forty nights. After that He was hungry. 3 The devil came tempting Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to be made into bread.” 4 But Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man is not to live on bread only. Man is to live by every word that God speaks.’”

5 Then the devil took Jesus up to Jerusalem, the holy city. He had Jesus stand on the highest part of the house of God. 6 The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. It is written, ‘He has told His angels to look after You. In their hands they will hold You up. Then Your foot will not hit against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to the devil, “It is written also, ‘You must not tempt the Lord your God.’”

8 Again the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain. He had Jesus look at all the nations of the world to see how great they were. 9 He said to Jesus, “I will give You all these nations if You will get down at my feet and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to the devil, “Get away, Satan. It is written, ‘You must worship the Lord your God. You must obey Him only.’” 11 Then the devil went away from Jesus. Angels came and cared for Him.

Question: Did God tempt Jesus to “try His faith”?

·         Refer also: https://cbadenhorst.blogspot.com/2023/10/suicide-awareness-prevention.html

B.      1 John 2:15-17 (NLV)

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love is not in him. 16 For everything that is in the world does not come from the Father. The desires of our flesh, and the things our eyes see and want, and the pride of this life come from the world. 17 The world and all its desires will pass away. But the man who obeys God and does what He wants done will live forever.

Question: Do you recognise these three forms of temptation as what Jesus was tempted with in Matthew 4? Looking at your own life, can you see yourself being tested by these three forms of temptation?

C.      Matthew 26:36-46 (NLV) {PoG}

Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “You sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him. He began to have much sorrow and a heavy heart {G85: most severe depression}. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is very sad. My soul is so full of sorrow I am ready to die. You stay here and watch with Me.”

39 He went on a little farther and got down with His face on the ground. He prayed, “My Father, if it can be done, take away what is before Me. Even so, not what I want but what You want.”

40 Then He came to the followers and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Were you not able to watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray so that you will not be tempted. Man’s spirit is willing, but the body does not have the power to do it {the flesh is weak}.”

42 He went away again the second time. He prayed, saying, “My Father, if this must happen to Me, may whatever You want be done.” 43 He came and found them asleep again. Their eyes were heavy. 44 He went away from them the third time and prayed the same prayer.

45 Then He came to His followers and asked them, “Are you still sleeping and getting your rest? As I speak, the time has come when the Son of Man will be handed over to sinners. 46 Get up and let us go. See! The man who will hand Me over is near.”

Question: What were the disciples being tempted to do? What was Jesus battling?

D.      Galatians 5:16-24 (NLV) {PoG}

I say this to you: Let the Holy Spirit lead you in each step. Then you will not please your sinful old selves {the flesh}. 17 The things our old selves {the flesh} want to do are against what the Holy Spirit wants. The Holy Spirit does not agree with what our sinful old selves {the flesh} want. These two are against each other. So you cannot do what you want to do. 18 If you let the Holy Spirit lead you, the Law no longer has power over you. 19 The things your sinful old self {the flesh} wants to do are: sex sins, sinful desires, wild living, 20 worshiping false gods, witchcraft, hating, fighting, being jealous, being angry, arguing, dividing into little groups and thinking the other groups are wrong, false teaching, 21 wanting something someone else has, killing other people, using strong drink, wild parties, and all things like these. I told you before and I am telling you again that those who do these things {will not inherit the Kingdom of God}. 22 But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith, 23 being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things. 24 Those of us who belong to Christ have nailed our sinful old selves {the flesh} on His cross. Our sinful desires are now dead.

Question: Do you ever feel the conflict in you between the flesh and the Holy Spirit?

E.       1 Peter 1:3-9 (NLV) {PoG}

Let us thank the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was through His loving-kindness that we were born again to a new life and have a hope that never dies. This hope is ours because Jesus was raised from the dead. 4 We will receive the great things that we have been promised. They are being kept safe in heaven for us. They are pure and will not pass away. They will never be lost. 5 You are being kept by the power of God because you put your trust in Him and you will be saved from the punishment of sin at the end of the world.

6 With this hope you can be happy even if you need to have sorrow and all kinds of tests for awhile. 7 These tests have come to prove your faith and to show that it is good. Gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire. Your faith is worth much more than gold and it must be tested also. Then your faith will bring thanks and shining-greatness and honour to Jesus Christ when He comes again. 8 You have never seen Him but you love Him. You cannot see Him now but you are putting your trust in Him. And you have joy so great that words cannot tell about it. 9 {You will be receiving the end of your faith: the salvation of your soul}.

Question: Who / What is testing your faith?

F.       1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLV)

You have never been tempted to sin in any different way than other people. God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted more than you can take. But when you are tempted, He will make a way for you to keep from falling into sin.

Question: Do we have the ability to make choices when being tempted?

G.      2 Corinthians 4:7-12;16-18 (NLV)

We have this light from God in our human bodies. This shows that the power is from God. It is not from ourselves. 8 We are pressed on every side, but we still have room to move. We are often in much trouble, but we never give up. 9 People make it hard for us, but we are not left alone. We are knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 We carry marks on our bodies that show the death of Jesus. This is how Jesus makes His life seen in our bodies. 11 Every day of our life we face death because of Jesus. In this way, His life is seen in our bodies. 12 Death is working in us because we work for the Lord, but His life is working in you.

16 This is the reason we do not give up. Our human body is wearing out. But our spirits are getting stronger every day. 17 The little troubles we suffer now for a short time are making us ready for the great things God is going to give us forever. 18 We do not look at the things that can be seen. We look at the things that cannot be seen. The things that can be seen will come to an end. But the things that cannot be seen will last forever.

Question: Do you ever feel the troubles and trials you experience makes you want to give up in life or the Lord? Do you ever feel like you are being punished for your faith?

H.      Hebrews 12:5-11 (NLV) {PoG}

Do you remember what God said to you when He called you His sons? “My son, listen when the Lord punishes {G3809: trains and educates you}. Do not give up when He tells you what you must do. 6 The Lord punishes {G3811: trains and instructs you as children He loves}. He whips {corrects (Proverbs 3:12) H3198: to make clear, to demonstrate, to prove} every son He receives.” 7 Do not give up when you are punished {G3809: trained and educated by God}. Be willing to take it, knowing that God is teaching you as a son. Is there a father who does not punish {G3811: train and instruct his son sometimes}? 8 If you are not punished {G3809: trained and educated as all sons are}, it means that you are not a true son of God. You are not a part of His family and He is not your Father. 9 Remember that our fathers on earth punished {G3810: corrected us as teachers and instructors}. We had respect for them. How much more should we obey our Father in heaven and live {have a blessed life}? 10 For a little while our fathers on earth punished {G3811: trained and instructed us when they thought they should}. But God {does so} for our good so we will be holy as He is holy. 11 There is no joy while we are being punished {G3809: trained and educated}. It is hard to take, but later we can see that good came from it. And it gives us the peace of being right with God.

Question: Does the corrected translation change how you see God as your Father?

·         Refer also: https://cbadenhorst.blogspot.com/2017/05/misunderstanding-and-misinterpretation.html

I.         With His Word:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLV) {PoG}

All the Holy Writings are God-given and are made alive by Him. Man is helped when he is taught God’s Word. It shows what {needs correcting}. It changes the way of a man’s life. It shows him how to be right with God. 17 It gives the man who belongs to God everything he needs to work well for Him.

Hebrews 4:12 (NLV)

God’s Word is living and powerful. It is sharper than a sword that cuts both ways. It cuts straight into where the soul and spirit meet and it divides them. It cuts into the joints and bones. It tells what the heart is thinking about and what it wants to do.

John 15:1-5 (NLV) {PoG}

“I am the true Vine. My Father is the One Who cares for the Vine. 2 He takes away {G142: raises, elevates, and lifts up} any branch in Me that does not give fruit. Any branch that gives fruit, He cuts back {G2508: cleanses it from filth impurities} so it will give more fruit. 3 You are made clean by the words I have spoken to you. 4 Get your life from Me and I will live in you. No branch can give fruit by itself. It has to get life from the vine. You are able to give fruit only when you have life from Me. 5 I am the Vine and you are the branches. Get your life from Me. Then I will live in you and you will give much fruit. You can do nothing without Me.

Question: How does God our Father educate, instruct, and discipline us? How did Jesus do so with His Disciples?

J.        Peace and access to God:

Romans 5:1-5 (NLV)

Now that we have been made right with God by putting our trust in Him, we have peace with Him. It is because of what our Lord Jesus Christ did for us. 2 By putting our trust in God, He has given us His loving-favour and has received us. We are happy for the hope we have of sharing the shining-greatness of God. 3 We are glad for our troubles also. We know that troubles help us learn not to give up. 4 When we have learned not to give up, it shows we have stood the test. When we have stood the test, it gives us hope. 5 Hope never makes us ashamed because the love of God has come into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who was given to us.

Hebrews 10:19-24 (NLV)

Christian brothers, now we know we can go into the Holiest Place of All because the blood of Jesus was given. 20 We now come to God by the new and living way. Christ made this way for us. He opened the curtain, which was His own body. 21 We have a great Religious Leader over the house of God. 22 And so let us come near to God with a true heart full of faith. Our hearts must be made clean from guilty feelings and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold on to the hope we say we have and not be changed. We can trust God that He will do what He promised. 24 Let us help each other to love others and to do good.

Question: Since we have peace with God and can freely come to Him, does it make sense that He punishes us?

 

IV.            FURTHER THOUGHT:

A.      Hebrews 3:7-9a (NLV) {PoG}

The Holy Spirit says, “If you hear His voice today, 8 do not let your hearts become hard as your early fathers did when they turned against Me. It was at that time in the desert when they put Me to the test {G3986}. 9 Your early fathers tempted {G3985} Me and tried {G1381} Me.”

Thoughts: It was not God tempting and trying the people of Israel, it was the people of Israel trying and tempting God. Their hearts were hardened by their own unbelief—they saw the miracles yet doubted God, unbelieving (believing falsely) that He just brought them out of Egypt to die (that God would just kill them). Feel free to read through the scriptures that share how they tested God: Deuteronomy 6, Psalms 78, Psalms 95, and Psalms 106.

B.      Shalom!

Take time to study and look into the original Hebrew for “God’s thoughts of peace (shalom) toward you” (Jeremiah 29:11 and Isaiah 55:12). God has “shalom” upon/toward you, and it encompasses much depth and meaning to our lives; including positive variations of peace, as well as health and prosperity. One resource for looking into the original Hebrew or Greek (as these last links to those go to) is: www.BlueLetterBible.org

And we can be assured of His “shalom” to us without doubt because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us!

 

V.            ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & SUPPORT:

A thank you to Kelly and Joshua who are inspirational in this life-journey. And to all the family, friends, sponsors, and donors who have fed into this ministry and outreach.

If you would like to support this ministry and outreach, you may do so via our website or at:

(U.S.A. registered 501c3 Non-Profit Organisation)