July 10, 2005
Morning Worship
Text: Proverbs 3:5-6
Subject: Perseverance Part 3
Title: Persevering Through Trust
As we patiently wait for the coming of the Lord, we have to have something to hold on to that will help us maintain our faith through hard times. We must find something to trust in. I heard recently of a Christian who said that their favorite passage in the whole bible was, “And it came to pass…” We know that if God’s word says it, it will happen. We come to that point by faith or trust. What happens when you place your trust in someone or something? It depends upon who it is! I have come to understand that you cannot place your trust in human wisdom. You will be disappointed.
A man took his five-year-old son and stood him up on a shelf and said, “Jump, son. I’ll catch you.” After a few minutes of coaxing, the boy jumped and his dad promptly stepped aside and let him fall. The boy looked up with tears in his eyes and asked, “Dad, why didn’t you catch me?” His dad’s reply? “I just wanted to teach you never to trust anyone.”
Our Scripture passage today is a familiar one. Proverbs 3:5-6 says this, Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
The call of God on your life is a serious one and at times it is a struggle. This we know, that what God has called us to He will make a way for it to be so. That is the one thing we can be assured of. It is the one thing that helps us to persevere till it is so.
Last week we spoke of joy and how the Joy of the Lord will help see us through. Today I want to share with you about persevering through trust.
I. THE OBJECT OF YOUR TRUST. The word translated “trust” in verse 5 has a deep element of faith in it. The Amplified bible says it like this, “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in…” Now we are not asked to have blind faith. We are to “trust in the Lord.” How do we get to the point where we can trust? It comes through personal experience. How do we trust the Lord? The writer of Hebrews tells us that, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to Him must believe that “He is,” and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So we come to trust the Lord by our experience with Him. Years ago, Monroe Parker was traveling through South Alabama on one of those hot, sultry Alabama days. He stopped at a watermelon stand, picked out a watermelon, and asked the proprietor how much it cost. "It’s$1.10," he replied. Parker dug into his pocket, found only a bill and said, "All I have is a dollar." "That’s ok," the proprietor said, "I’ll trust you for it."
"Well, that’s mighty nice of you," Parker responded, and picking up the
watermelon, started to leave.
"Hey, where are you going?" the man behind the counter demanded.
"I’m going outside to eat my watermelon." "But you forgot to give me the
dollar!"
"You said you would trust me for it," Parker called back.
"Yeah, but I meant I would trust you for the dime!"
"Mack," Parker replied, "You weren’t going to trust me at all. You were
just going to take a ten-cent gamble on my integrity!"
Haddon Robinson.
That’s how our relationship with God needs to be. We have to trust Him for everything. Often our tendency is to take care of our problems ourselves until our solutions run aground, then we call on God. Isaiah 26:4, “Trust in the Lord forever, for in “YAH” the Lord is everlasting strength.” Don’t place your trust in money, position, or power, but trust in the Lord. He is to be the object of your trust. All else will disappoint.
II. THE SOURCE OF YOUR TRUST. “Trust in the Lord …with all your heart.” The heart plays an important part in your spiritual life. I want to take a look at all the different meanings of the word that is translated “heart”. 1) inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding
1a) inner part, midst
1a1) midst (of things)
1a2) heart (of man)
1a3) soul, heart (of man)
1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory
1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will)
1a6) conscience
1a7) heart (of moral character)
1a8) as seat of appetites
1a9) as seat of emotions and passions
1a10) as seat of courage
So when the bible talks about “heart” it is not only referring to the muscle that pumps blood through the body. It refers to the very center of everything we are in body, soul, and spirit. So if you are to trust in the Lord with all you heart, you subject your flesh to Him (body), you trust Him with your emotions and intellect (soul) and you trust Him in your spirit. That is why we confess with our mouths the lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead…” So our trust doesn’t just come from one aspect of our humanity but from the total of who we are.
III. THE PERFECTING OF YOUR TRUST. “lean not on your own understanding…” This is a hard lesson to learn. You know over the years I have read many how to books on church growth and turning the church around. The authors of these books use principles from the business world to help churches organize, use their resources, and move forward. Much of what I have read places a great emphasis on man’s ability to plan and build a church. And there are many ways to do that. But you know, when I lean on my own understanding or the understanding of another human, it seems as though something in the process begins to break down. First of all, when we place an emphasis on programs themselves we are doing just what this scripture says not to do. Secondly, there are many scriptural references to church growth, and not one of them relies on our abilities. In fact, just the opposite is true. The greatest surge in church growth ever came on the Day of Pentecost when an unlearned fisherman stood on the steps of the Temple and preached and 3000 were saved. It wasn’t some ingenious plan thought out by a church growth guru. But it was the physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit that attracted the crowd and the Holy Spirit power that changed Peter and the others so he could stand and preach the gospel with boldness. It is the same pattern that we see taking place in our church now. Who is going to step up and be Peter or Paul in the Holy Spirit? We will persevere through God’s plan for church growth and not some cleverly devised scheme for a quick fix. We have to learn to lean on God and His power for everything this church is going to become.
A story is told about Uncle Oscar, who was apprehensive about his first airplane ride. His friends, eager to hear how it went, asked if he enjoyed the flight. "Well," commented Uncle Oscar, "it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be, but
I’ll tell you this. I never did put all my weight down!"
Source Unknown.
That is a perfect illustration of how we are not to be in trusting God. We must put all of our weight down in the Lord.
IV. THE PURPOSE OF YOUR TRUST. “in all your ways acknowledge Him…” Our purpose for trusting God for everything we do is that He might be glorified. John 17:20-21, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the world may know that You sent Me.” When we place all our trust in God, that means believing everything that He has said, acting on His promises and receiving them by faith so that through signs and wonders, changed lives, and the power of the gospel itself, God is glorified. Trusting Him glorifies Him and we receive all the benefits. Notice that this scripture does not say that we simply give mental ascent to His person. IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM… Everything we do points to Jesus. So it is important that the way we live paints an appropriate picture of Jesus’ person to the world.
V. THE DIRECTION OF YOUR TRUST. “And He shall direct your paths.” What direction does this church want to go? The comfort way means having church… singing songs, maybe an occasional raised hand or amen, a little preaching… When God directs your paths forget the comfort zone. If Moses had to wait till God moved him in his comfort zone, Israel would still be in Egypt. In the nearly four years that I have been here, how many times have I encouraged you to share your faith, invite people to church, or talk about what is going on here. In other words, I have challenged you to get out of your comfort zone. Knowing that you are doing what the Lord has asked you to do, how could you go wrong? If you are following His direction, we will persevere to the next level and then the next and the next. We have set our hearts to what God wants for this church and we are going to do it His way according to His word. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a lamp unto my path.” It is God’s direction that will sustain us not our own.
Are we headed into uncharted territory? Are we seeing a spiritual revival that is different than any you may have ever seen here? Are you being touched by the power of God in our services? If you answered yes to any or all of those questions then there is one more question for you to answer. What are you doing with it?
James Brown, Evangeline Baptist Church wrote these words. There is no situation I can get into that God cannot get me out. Some years ago when I was learning to fly, my instructor told me to put the plane into a steep and extended dive. I was totally unprepared for what was about to happen. After a brief time the engine stalled, and the plane began to plunge out-of-control. It soon became evident that the instructor was not going to help me at all. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, my mind began to function again. I quickly
corrected the situation. Immediately I turned to the instructor and began to vent my fearful frustrations on him. He very calmly said to me, "There is no position
you can get this airplane into that I cannot get you out of. If you want
to learn to fly, go up there and do it again." At that moment God seemed
to be saying to me, "Remember this. As you serve Me, there is no
situation you can get yourself into that I cannot get you out of. If you
trust me, you will be all right." That lesson has been proven true in
my ministry many times over the years.
James Brown, Evangeline Baptist Church, Wildsville, LA, in Discoveries,
Fall, 1991, Vol. 2, No. 4.
If your trust in the Lord is not enough to allow Him to guide you, teach you, use you, and empower you then you need to ask yourself if it is enough to help you persevere. This church was once a force in this town. What I am about to say now is not wishful thinking on my part. God is going to take this church to higher highs than you have ever seen. Are you going to trust Him enough to be used by Him? God will either use you or move you out of the way and use someone else for His purpose. The great personal renewal that comes to those who have been touched recently by the Holy Spirit’s power has a purpose. God’s glory.
What are you doing with it?
