Mat 5:21-48; Becoming Grateful for the Good Medicine of Temptations.

Class Outline:

Wednesday July 17, 2024

 

Idea: Faith and obedience are increased through various trials which God allows with the result that we love all others and worship God. 

 

Completeness will only come through various trials, JAM 1:2-8. 

 

Trials emphasize the difference between human ability (good things we can do, and morally neutral things) and what only God can do. 

 

“Trials” - peirasmos = temptations designed to make you fall.

 

“Testing” - dokimion = tests to prove your strength.

 

The idea is that temptations from evil sources become the tests that God uses to show the level of your faith’s strength.

 

Various means that these temptations and tests will come from within and without. Each temptation is an opportunity to draw closer to the heart of God.

 

2CO 12:9 - we have to be weak to discover the true power of trust. No other way. 

 

“let have” is a commandment and it means that you cannot abandon the will of God and go to sin when the temptation arises. Remain in His will and trust.  

 

We all fail, but if we do not learn to stand firm, we will never develop mature trust, and the cost of that is that we will never, in this life, see the heart of the law or the heart of God. And in that state our church going will not go much deeper than religious observance. 

 

Perfect (telios) and complete (holokleros = meeting all expectations, complete, sound, blameless). 

 

A complete patience (or any other virtue) that meets all expectations would not be limited by personal desire.

 

God is faithful by nature. He is making us in His image (COL 3:10) by faith / trust is the only way it can happen.  

 

Faith only increases through various trials that you may become complete. 

 

How to increase obedience. (COL 4:12)

 

Obedience increases alongside trust. 

 

Stand complete - in the context of Colossians is to stand firm in your faith in the truth you know and against false doctrines. All false doctrines call us to seek out the ways of the world and flesh (revenge, defending your honor, holding back material goods, making war with your enemies, playing at religion). 

 

Rather - COL 3:1-4, seek your life with Christ in heaven (MAT 6:33). 

 

“Made full” in COL 4:12 (plerophoreo) means to fill completely, convince fully in all the will of God. It is a perfect passive - you have been convinced and still are (passive: God convinced you through trials and truth).

 

You increase obedience by becoming fully convinced of the greatness of God’s plans and authenticity of His promises

If you and I are not convinced fully, we will not come to know the heart of the law nor the heart of God. 

 

Plerrophoreo is used of Abraham who believed God would give him a son when he was 99 (ROM 4:21). 

 

Application:

 

Be encouraged. Faith grows, knowledge grows. 

 

Be excited. The promise of seeing the love of God, God’s heart, the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven is a promise to you. 

 

God has done the impossible and the absurd. 

 

It takes time in study, times of trial, struggle, reaching ahead for our hearts to transition from the perspective of self and world to the perspective of heaven and the righteousness which is the only reality.