“Faith Tested is Faith Triumphant!” – coined by my very first pastor in England, Pastor Colin Dye. He would always remind us that our faith must be tested. It is the test that produces the triumphant.

Here’s how the Bible defines faith:

Now faith is CONFIDENCE in what we hope for and ASSURANCE about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)

• In 1620, 102 pilgrims left England, they had no assurance of success, no assurance of religious freedom in this unknown world.
• But their CONFIDENCE was IN GOD. Now that’s faith!
• A pilgrim is a person who embarks on a faith journey with the sole purpose of having an encounter with God.
• As a Christian, you are also a “pilgrim” The purpose of your pilgrimage is to have an encounter with God.

Abram the Pilgrim (Genesis 12)

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you. So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed. (Genesis 12:1-4 NLT)

• Faith is not simply believing. Faith is doing.
• How many times do we hear His instructions but delay the follow through and eventually don’t do it.
• A delayed obedience can lead to complete disobedience.

For you know that when your FAITH IS TESTED, your ENDURANCE has a chance to GROW. (James 1:3 NLT)

• The triumph is in the “endurance” and the “growth”.
• God test your faith to point you to Him.
• The Faith test is an Open Book Test. God does not hide the answers from you. HE IS THE ANSWER!

Sometime later, God TESTED Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you. The next morning Abraham got up EARLY. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. (Genesis 22:1-4 NLT)

• Faith starts with obedience but then leads to action.
• His pilgrimage took 3 days. Can you imagine the internal dialogue on the way?
• What kept Abraham going? FAITH.

“STAY HERE with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “THE BOY AND I will travel a little farther. WE will worship there, and then WE will come right back.” (Genesis 22:5 NLT)

• “Stay here with the donkey,” On this faith pilgrimage, not everyone can come along with you.
• The confidence in Abraham’s tone: “THE BOY AND I will travel a little farther. WE will worship there, and then WE will come right back.”

Your faith and your words must line up!

And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
“Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). (Genesis 22:10-14 NLT)

• Abraham ended his pilgrimage with an encounter with God – Jehovah Jireh. The God who provided a lamb as a sacrifice instead of Isaac.
• The purpose of his pilgrimage was not to sacrifice his son. The purpose of his pilgrimage was to have an encounter with God!
• It is also true for your pilgrimage: to have an encounter with God!
• 2000 years ago, that same Jehovah- Jireh, provided another sacrificial lamb for you and me: His own son, Jesus.

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. (Revelation 3:20 NLT)

CONCLUSION
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?