IT IS BETTER TO TRUST IN THE LORD THAN TO PUT CONFIDENCE IN MAN
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OUTLINE
1.POWER
2.PROMISES
3.PRESENCE
4.PARDON
5.PASSION
6.PEACE
7.PROMOTION
THE MESSAGE
IT IS BETTER TO TRUST IN THE LORD THAN TO PUT CONFIDENCE IN MAN : Psalm 118:8
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1.POWER
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man because God is all powerful. The things which are impossible with man are possible with God. The Lord has promised to show us great and mighty things when we call upon Him. He does great and unsearchable things and marvelous things without number . Therefore we must put our trust in God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Jeremiah 33:3
’Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
Job 5:8-9
"But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him.
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
2.PROMISES
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man because God is faithful to fulfill His promises.
Man often fails to keep his promises. He may even lie and deny the promises he has made. Man may also change his mind and refuse to fulfill his promises.
But God is not a man to fail to keep His word. The word which comes from the mouth of God will not return void to Him but will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent. Therefore we must put our trust in God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Numbers 23:19-23
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
"No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel.The LORD their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them.
God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox.
There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, ’See what God has done!’
Isaiah 55:11
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Mark 13:31
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
3.PRESENCE
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man because of His presence with us . He has promised to be with us always even till the end of the world . He has said " I will never leave you nor forsake you ". He is our shade at our right hand.
No man can be with us all the time. Man may also pass away from this world. But God will be with us at all times and in all situations . His presence will be with us in times of joy , sorrow, celebration, loneliness, disappointment, fulfillment, prosperity, poverty ,health ,sickness etc. Therefore we must put our trust in God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Matthew 28:20
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Hebrews 13:5-6
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
Psalm 121:4-5
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
4.PARDON
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man because of His pardon and forgiveness and mercy. The Lord will not keep His anger against us forever . He has not punished us according to what we deserve . He is merciful towards us. Even when we are afflicted because of our transgressions and iniquities He is merciful to deliver us when we cry out to Him.
Man may not forgive us or show mercy to us when we fail. Man may not rescue us when we suffer because of our mistakes. David preferred to fall into the hands of God rather than into the hands of men because God’s mercies are very great. Therefore we must put our trust in God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Psalm 103 :8-13
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
Psalm 107:17-21
Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
II Samuel 24:10-14
David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing."
Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David�s seer:
"Go and tell David, �This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.� "
So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come upon you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me."
David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men."
5.PASSION
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man because God’s passion and love towards us is everlasting. The Love of God never changes .If God loved us so much that He did not spare His own Son but gave Him for us then surely He will provide everything else that we need. God will make all things work together for good in our lives.
Man may not love us always. Human love changes all the time. It is conditional and has many strings attached. Only the love of God is unconditional and everlasting. Therefore we must put our trust in God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
Romans 8: 28,32
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose.
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
I John 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
2 SAMUEL 13:1-15
In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David.
Amnon became frustrated to the point of illness on account of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.
Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man.
He asked Amnon, "Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister."
"Go to bed and pretend to be ill," Jonadab said. "When your father comes to see you, say to him, ’I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’ "
So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, "I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand."
David sent word to Tamar at the palace: "Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him."
So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it.
Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat. "Send everyone out of here," Amnon said. So everyone left him.
Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand." And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom.
But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, "Come to bed with me, my sister."
"Don’t, my brother!" she said to him. "Don’t force me. Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing.
What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you."
But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.
Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, "Get up and get out!"
6.PEACE
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man because of the great peace and tranquility it brings to us. The Lord will keep those who trust in Him in perfect peace. This quietness and confidence will give us strength. We need not worry and be distressed about anything . We should make all our requests known to God and the peace of God will rule our hearts.
Man may not be consistent enough to let us rest in assurance. Man may waver in his commitments and cause us great anxiety when put our confidence in him. Therefore we must put our trust in God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 30:15
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
7.PROMOTION
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man because God brings promotion in our lives. God lifts us when we humble ourselves before Him. We must be submitted under His mighty Hand until He lifts us in due time. We must look to God to promote us.
Man may fail to lift us up. The hand of man may lift us up in sympathy when we are in a pathetic state . But the same hand may pull us down in jealousy when we are in a prosperous state. Man may not want us to rise higher than him.
But the Lord desires to lift us up and make us to be seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Jesus promised that those who believe in Him shall do even greater works than Him. The Lord is the one who brings promotion in our lives. Therefore we must put our trust in God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Psalm 75:6-7
No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man.
But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.
James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
I Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God�s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Ephesians 2:6
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
John 14:12
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
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