I. EXORDIUM:
Have you ever trusted someone with your life?
II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:
Believers
III. OBJECTIVES:
To show what it means to trust the LORD and what are the rewards of trusting the LORD
IV. TEXT:
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.
V. THESIS:
What it means to trust in the LORD and reap the rewards
VI. TITLE:
Trust In The LORD
VII. EXPLICATION:
A. Author: Jeremiah
B. Content: biography and message of the weeping prophet
C. Period: Dark days in the kingdom of Judah, from the 13th year of Josiah (last good king) until several years beyond the Captivity.
D. Main Themes: The backsliding, bondage and restoration of the Jews
VIII. MAIN BODY:
A. What it means to trust in the LORD
1. Blessed are those who trust in the LORD (Isaiah 51:2)
Isaiah 51:2 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.”
Trusting in the LORD makes you blessed already because you're trusting His unfailing love. For example, when Abraham trusted the LORD, the LORD GOD Himself blessed Abraham and Abraham became a great nation.
2. Make the LORD your hope and confidence
Trusting the LORD means putting your hope and confidence on GOD alone.
Romans 15:13 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hope came from the Hebrew word: mibtach meaning "refuge", "security", "assurance", "confidence", "sure" when you hope in someone, you make him your security, assurance, confidence, for your life. Same with the LORD GOD, we make Him our "refuge", "security", "assurance", "confidence", "sure" when we hope in GOD. If we do this to another human being, they will fail, but when placed on GOD it will fill our lives with joy and peace.
Numbers 23:19 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
Hebrews 7:19 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
We have confidence in a better Hope, that is our LORD, the Hope of Glory.
Colossians 1:27 (Modern King James Version)
For to them God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,
B. Rewards of trusting in the LORD
These are the major rewards of trusting in the LORD, namely: (1) we will be like trees planted along the riverbank, we will not be thirsty of the Holy Spirit, (2) our foundations are made strong in the Word of God, (3) we are not bothered by the heat, because the LORD GOD is our refuge, (4) we are not bothered by worries in months of drought, brought about by disobediences of this ending world, (5) our leaves stay green, (6) to bear more delicious fruit.
1. They are like trees planted along the riverbank (Isaiah 44:3-4, Psalms 1:1-3)
Isaiah 44:3-4 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.
Psalms 1:1-3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.
But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
When you trust in the LORD, you don't follow the advice of the wicked but only GOD's advice because you delight in the law of the LORD, even meditating on it day and night.
2. Roots reach deep into the waters
Root came from the Hebrew word "sheresh" meaning "bottom","deep", "heel" referring to your foundation or the way you make yourself stand up.
Colossians 2:7 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Ephesians 5:26 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
Water symbolizes GOD's Words. If your foundation is on GOD's Words, your faith is strong and will grow strong in the truth that you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness.
3. They are not bothered by heat. (Isaiah 25:4)
The LORD is our shelter from the heat.
Isaiah 25:4 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall,
4. They are not bothered by worries by longs months of drought. (Deuteronomy 28:22)
Worries came from the Hebrew word "daag" meaning "be afraid", "sorrow", "take thought" You will not be bothered by worries that hold you back but instead gives you opportunity to pray.
According to Deuteronomy 28:22, one of the punishment of disobedience is you will be striked with drought, and we're not surprised because the whole world lived in disobedience before GOD that's why we're experiencing "drought" during our last days and times, but if we trust in the LORD we will not worry being in the months of drought, instead of worrying we pray instead.
Deuteronomy 28:22 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
The Lord will strike you with wasting diseases, fever, and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew. These disasters will pursue you until you die.
5. Their leaves stay green (Luke 21:30-31,John 15:1-3)
Luke 21:30-31 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Our leaves all the more come out as green because the coming of GOD is nearer than before and "summer" are trials, problems and persecutions in our life but even though our leaves stay green.
John 15:1-3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.
We are the branches and the leaves are attached to the branches (to us), it will stay green until the coming of the LORD comes, that is the rapture.
6. They produce delicious fruit. (John 15:1-3)
We produce more fruit, not just fruit, but delicious fruit.
John 15:1-3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.
IX. CONCLUSION:
Trust in the LORD and we will get all these rewards.
