What? More Tests?

Readings; Psalm 8, Genesis 1:1-2,4a, Matthew 28:16-20, 2 Corinthians 13:5-13
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, June 15th 2014

A printable PDF file can be found here

The school year is over. All the exams and tests have been completed. At least that's what you thought! Our reading from 2 Corinthians suggests that there is one more test that we need to apply to ourselves. And nobody is exempt.

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves.”

There's a difference between this test and all the other tests you will ever have to take in your life. This one is self-adjudicated. The only examination board is yourself. There are no grades that are going to be given. This one is simply pass or fail. It's that simple.

And the curious thing about it is the person who invites you to take the test, the apostle Paul, is actually worried that they themselves may fail it! When he writes to the Corinthians he says, in verse 6; “I hope you will find out that we have not failed.”

Paul is concerned that all the things he has shared with them through his preaching and teaching has not taken any root in their lives. He is worried that he has been wasting his time, that his teaching has had no good impact on them. He's grading his own performance on the results that he sees in them. Had they learned anything about what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus?

There were problems in Corinth. The church was split into different groups and the different groups were finding it hard to get along with each other. Each different group had their favorites that they followed and each one seemed to think that they were the most important ones.

Then there was the problem that some of the people in the church thought that when Paul told them God forgave them for their sins that it meant it didn't matter how they lived. If God forgave them, they could do whatever they liked and it didn't matter. Why? Because God was going to forgive them anyway!

And on top of all that there were people who thought that they knew better than Paul how to please God. In fact some of them seemed to have thought that they knew better than God how to please God and were making up their own rules to live by. It was as though they were saying, “I know you told us that Jesus taught that we should live this way, but we don't think that's realistic. We are going to do things our way instead!”

In verse 11 Paul puts it to to them 'Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.'

When we look back at how Paul taught them and the way the church would eventually grow and prosper, we can see that actually Paul did a great job as a teacher. Eventually the people in Corinth came to realize that the things he was teaching them made sense and that his encouragement to follow Jesus was worth following up on! It just didn't feel that way when he wrote the letter... and he was not one to hide the way he saw things. As he says in verse 8  “For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.”

These words have something to offer us as we today celebrate a number of different things. Firstly they are an encouragement to all who give their lives to the task of teaching others. Whether it's in the school system or here at the church. Take note of the fact that Paul was discouraged.

You can have those days when you feel that despite all the seeds you have sown nothing has taken root. We forget so easily that seeds take a time to grow. And sometimes the weeds grow more aggressively than the seeds. It's always been that way. You can't force people to learn, no matter how amazing the lesson is you are trying to share with them. Paul had the greatest lesson of all... the invitation to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  His words were  life-changing but you get the impression that some of those around him just gave the gospel a 'Whatever!' response.

So teachers, be encouraged!  Maybe you, more than most can identify with Paul's words as he writes in verse 9  “For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. This is what we pray for, that you may become perfect.”  Learning life's lessons takes a lifetime!And we are all disciples ourselves, with a lot to learn. So remember that God is with you and keep on doing what you do!

It's Fathers Day. There are encouraging words here also for Father's. Paul speaks about  “Using the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.” It often falls upon the Father of a household to be the final authority. Often Dad's have the last word.  I realize that these days we have many different kinds of households, but in every home there's always someone who has the final word.

Paul here encourages us to use our positions of authority, those places where we have the  ability to make things happen, to use such leverage to 'build up' not to 'tear down.' In other words, don't just be encouraged, seek to be an encourager to others. Nurture those skills that help you be a good Father. Listen to those around you that you have to make decisions for. Seek their best, not just what may be  easiest. Build up, don't put down.

And again, like Paul, you have those times when you don't feel up to the task. There is something very 'Father-like' in verse 7 '”We pray to God that you may not do anything wrong-- not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.” It's almost as though Paul is that parent who is saying, 'Look, it's not about me. I just want the best for you!” Some of us are fortunate to have had parents just like that, and we thank God for them!

This time of year is also graduation time. Graduation is a wonderful time of transition, moving from something you know to something as yet undiscovered. You look back at where you have been and you look forward to where you may yet be! There is both encouragement and caution in verse 5 where Paul writes “Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?-- unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!”

He is telling us that we would not be where we are if God had not been with us. Through God's grace, Jesus has been with us every step of our journey. He's been in on everything we have done. So be thankful! Don't you realize that Jesus has been a part of your journey so far, helping you, guiding you, encouraging you?

Then we get that idea of the test, which is where we started this sermon today. The test we are to apply to our lives, be it as teachers, parents or graduates, is that we continue to seek for the presence of Jesus Christ to be in and around our lives. That where ever life may lead us, we will go forward knowing our lives are in God's hand, and indeed seeking to place them in God's care. That way, as Paul writes in the final verse of chapter 13  we fulfill what he most wished for our lives “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

I know we sometimes use similar words at the close of our service. They are indeed a great encouragement and very fitting for this day in the churches calendar, that also happens to be Trinity Sunday.

That we go on our way, knowing that the grace of Jesus goes ahead of us. That we move forward knowing that God's love is moving all around us. That we can trust that God is surrounding our life with the presence of God's Holy Spirit, the most wonderful communion our lives can experience.

We have come full circle. Be we teachers, Fathers, Graduates … or wherever life has placed us... we can all apply to our lives Paul's words with which we started. 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves.”

May we each simply seek to be the people God is calling us to be and do those things that God is calling us to do, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, and conscious of the love of God that surrounds our lives. Amen!

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.