We Can Always Trust In The Lord! Series

We Can Always Trust in the Lord!

The Gospel of John

John 3:9-15 (Reading vs. 1-15)

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - May 25, 2016

(Revised July 10, 2019)

BACKGROUND:

*Tonight, we continue our verse by verse study of John Chapter 3, and we will take a close look at vs. 9-15. But for context, let's begin by reading vs. 1-15. And as we read, please think about the great truth that we can trust God with everything in our lives.

MESSAGE:

*I like Elton Trueblood’s definition of faith. He said, "Faith is not belief without proof, -- but trust without reservation." (1)

*Trusting God: That’s a great thing to do, because He is always worthy of our trust! And the truth is that trusting God is the most important thing we can ever do in life.

1. TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE REMINDS US THAT WE CAN TRUST GOD WITH ELUSIVE THINGS.

*We can and we should trust in the Lord Jesus even in times when we are confused by Christ. Last week in vs. 3-4, Nicodemus was puzzled by what the Lord said.

*In vs. 3, Jesus said this to Nicodemus: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Then in vs. 4, Nicodemus asked, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

*Nicodemus did not understand, and Jesus began to explain how to be born again. But Nicodemus still didn't understand, so in vs. 9-11:

9. Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?''

10. Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?

11. Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.

*Nicodemus did not understand at first, and sometimes we will be just as confused. We won't always understand what God is doing in our world or in our lives. When we think about all of the evil flourishing today, when we think about our family and friends going through troubles, and when we think about those babies in our community battling cancer, there is so much that we don't understand. But we can always trust in the Lord!

[1] WE CAN TRUST JESUS BECAUSE OF HIS WALK.

*Jesus knows what it's like to be in our shoes. He knows the pain of our grief and troubles. Isaiah 53:3 gives this prophetic description of our Savior: "He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him."

*Jesus also knows the pain of our confusion. One of the most memorable things the Lord said on the cross is in Matthew 27:46. There Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?''

*Of course, the Lord knew why He was suffering and dying on the cross. It was for our sins. That's why He was temporarily forsaken by the Father. But our wonderful Savior was so willing to identify with us that He subjected Himself to the same kind of confusion we go through.

*It's summed up in the question "Why?" Why is this terrible thing happening to me? Why did I lose my job? Why did I get sick? Why is my family member sick? Why did that wreck happen? Why did they die so soon? Why is my family messed up?

*It must be okay for us to ask why, because Jesus asked why on the cross, and He never did anything wrong. The problem with asking why is that many times we won't get an answer in this world. That's why a wise man once said a better question is, "What now?" "What should I do now, Lord?" And one of the best things we can do is keep trusting in the Lord! Keep trusting Jesus even when we don’t understand.

[2] WE CAN ALWAYS TRUST JESUS BECAUSE OF HIS WALK, AND BECAUSE OF HIS WISDOM.

*Nicodemus' confusion in these verses reminds us that our knowledge is always incomplete. In vs. 10, Jesus used a simple question to help Nicodemus see his limitations. Jesus asked, "Are you the teacher (or master) of Israel, and do not know these things?" Jesus wasn't trying to embarrass Nicodemus. Instead, He was trying to help Nicodemus trust in the Lord.

*We all need to learn our limitations, especially when we compare ourselves to God. That way we will begin to look to the Lord for the wisdom we need. And we can always trust God because He does know! His wisdom is infinite!