Trusting God in difficult times.
Matthew 6:33
Mark 4:35-4:41
Introduction-
This morning we continue our series “Nuts and Bolts of life”.
We have looked at building relationships, the intimacy and sanctity of marriage and this morning look at trusting God when you are in difficult times.
It would be easy for me to tell you trust God and all things will be okay. Well, I can’t.
I do not know all that you are going through and I do not know how God will work in your circumstance and situation.
I can however, stand up here and tell you that the promises of God are true and you can trust God in His Word.
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Trusting God is like the little boy who was on the diving board and his father was below in the water telling him to jump and that he would be there to catch him. That diving board looks bigger and the water looks deeper when you are standing on the edge of the board than when you are in the water looking up. Here’s the point, in that boys mind, he weighs his fear against his faith and trust in his father. The one that wins will determine what he does. Fear wins and he climbs back down the ladder, even with some kids making fun of them. Trust wins, and he jumps off the board, believing that his father would not let anything happen to him.
That is the way it is with God and our lives.
At each point or intersection of our lives, fear wins or trust in God wins.
Trusting in God doesn’t always mean that the outcome is the way that you wanted, but it is trusting and believing that God will catch you when you fall and not let you out there by yourself.
Matthew 6:33- text image
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”
A very familiar verse-often quoted, and often not lived out in our lives.
Have you ever thought about that familiar verse?
Has it impacted your life?
You have heard me say several times to put your trust in God.
Some of you have done it.
Some choose not to.
To put on the righteousness of God, you take on the image of Christ by modeling what Christ has told us to do.
But, have you ever thought of the second part of that verse? Applied it to your life?
“All these things shall be added unto you.” image
By putting God first and doing all that we know to do and by allowing God to impact and change our lives, Jesus says that there are promises that He would add to our lives.
Deep hunger and thirst for the Word of God.
Peace that passes all understanding.
Comfort and strength knowing that we are in the will of God.
Anything that is done on earth that has eternal value will be rewarded.
Asking, seeking, knocking, on God’s door will have God opening the door and you will find what you are looking for.
Jesus is not a system- He is God! Desiring to have a relationship with us that is meaningful and life-changing.
If we are going to make any attempt at understanding God and being able to trust Him during difficult times- you will have to understand this-
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Your problem may be bigger than you are, but it is not bigger than your God.
You may not have all the answers or understand what is going on, but God is never confused or sidetracked by any situation.
Anyone who seeks God first- God is ready and willing to take responsibility for a life that is yield to Him.
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Bruce Larson tells a story like this- on fifth Avenue in NYC, in front of the RCA building sits a gigantic statue of Atlas. He is carrying the world on his shoulders, and he is barely standing up under the pressure. He says you can try to live your life like that-feeling like the world is on your shoulders- (Good luck with that)!
On the other side of fifth Avenue, at St. Patrick’s cathedral is a statue of the boy Jesus holding up the world with great ease with one hand.
We have a choice! You are going to carry the weight of the world, or you are going to let Jesus carry it for you.
Trusting God is a process. It is building off the relationship you have with the Lord.
If you have no relationship with Him, it will be next to impossible to trust him when you are going through a hard time.
If you are able to remember other times that God has seen you through rough times, it is easier to let him have control of the situation you are in.
To have the mind of Christ, it is necessary to see from the mind of Christ.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”
To have the mind of Christ, we need to be praying the prayer that Jesus prayed
“your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
To do kingdom work with confidence- “come, Lord Jesus.”
To have the mind of Christ is to realize that “We battle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers that are bigger than we are.
But it is in the strength of the Lord we are able to endure like good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Amen!
More about that in our next series as we look at the armor of God working in our lives.
Let God be first!
By definition of words- it means to allow, permit God to be present and real in your life and be the head of all the decisions you make now or in the future.
The mentality of society is “get it all now on your own.”
If you have time- then seek God.
To seek a God of your making!
When you let God be first- He becomes your point man and He leads through the mine fields of life, He defeats the snares in your life.
The reason so many people struggle is that they fail to let God be first, have no relationship with Him and they leave themselves open to the attacks of the enemy.
Point number one if you have not gotten it yet- Seek first the kingdom of God.
Then you will be able to trust God when you are going through a difficult time.
When you understand who you are in Christ and understand your relationship. It will be easier to trust Him during hard times.
I want you to turn to Mark chapter 4:35-4:41.
One is a response of faith and one is a response of panic.
One says that I’m panicked and scared and one says that I trust you. Which would you be?
Mark chapter 4:35-4:41 (image text)
What does it look like to trust God?
We get a perfect example right here- who’s the example? Jesus!
When we completely trust God, it looks like Jesus resting in the boat while the storm rages.
What’s the bad example? The disciples.
Panicked and scared, scrambling and keeping the focused on the storm.
They were experienced fisherman. I’m sure they tried everything they knew to do before panicking.
I am sure they were scooping water as fast as they could, but took on more water than they could get rid of.
Jesus calmed the storm (v41). They were terrified.
“Who is this man, that even the wind obeys him.” They didn’t get it.
The creator of the wind and waves was lying in the boat, but they were panicking because of the storm around them.
Asking questions like “don’t you care.” Have you ever asked God that question?
God’s purpose in the storm; to make sure you are more like Jesus.
When your future is unclear- put your trust in the person that takes fear out of your future.
It is easy to say God is good when life is good. Our faith gets tested during tough times. Do our words and our actions reveal an attitude of trust?
Some storms are meant to blow away all the distractions so we can focus our attention on the Lord.
Spiritual storms are trails, tragedy, setbacks.
Storms are a part of life. Every one of us goes through them.
Even Christians, God fearing people are not exempt.
Storms come to the righteous and the unrighteous.
The Godly and the foolish.
Storms can make us or break us-depending how we respond.
Closing:
If you are ever going to trust God during a difficult time….(1) you are going to have to seek the Lord, you cannot trust someone that you do not know…and (2) Fear has to be replaced by trust as evidenced in this passage
It is said that “no one ever crossed the ocean if he could have gotten off the ship in the storm.”
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Robert Morgan tells a story that took place on the Sunday after the Titanic sank. It happened in Belfast, where the great ship was built. Naturally, the townspeople were devastated. Men met on the city's streets, grasped each other's hands, burst into tears and parted without speaking a word.
Morgan told about one church that lost 16 men to the icy waters. All were mechanics on the Titanic. On that dark Sunday, the pastor read the Scripture from Mark 4:35-41
That Sunday, the preacher read this story. Then told his troubled church that only one vessel in all of history had been truly unsinkable: the little boat occupied by the sleeping Savior. And, the preacher added, "The only hearts that can weather the storms are hearts with Jesus inside."
Anytime Jesus says “lets”- it is a command, not a suggestion. He is not asking your opinion, He is giving His will.
Fear can paralyze you, but having a little fear is a good thing also. It keeps us from doing stupid things.
Have you been so afraid because you were in a dark room. Fear comes over you. You turn on the light, the darkness goes, and so does the fear. When we are up against something and we are afraid, we must ask Jesus to come into that situation. The light comes on, and the fear has to leave.
Fear is a natural response to something uncertain in your life. Calling on Jesus does not come naturally, but it needs to become our response to things we cannot control.
Like I said, I don’t know what you are up against, but I know the answer to the problem.
Remember that getting to the other side is the goal.
Illustration-
Many years ago, a man was hired as a experienced guide to lead people on a hike into the Swiss Alps. After many hours, they came to a high and remote mountain pass. To the man’s dismay, he saw the path had almost been washed out. What could he do? To the left was a sheer rock cliff, to his right , a cliff that dropped almost 1000 feet. Looking down, he felt his head growing faint and his knees beginning to buckle. At that moment his guide shouted, Do not look down or you are a dead man, keep your eyes on me, and where I put my feet, put yours there as well. The man did as instructed and soon he passed from danger to safety.
Keep your eyes on Jesus, it is much more than just a cute and catchy thing to say- it is what allows fear to be replaced with trust!
Amen
