Therefore I Will Trust You #2

The next thing that you say your contemplating life in your dwindling bank account contemplating dealing with the latest bad prognosis from the doctor. The chronic pain of life. The just never seems to go away. What's the next word out of your mouth. I'll tell you what it usually is far too many of us what's this I got your welcome again to the truth pulpit with Don green founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio until right at dawn is wrapping up our series a word of trust with part two of a message titled, therefore, I will trust you last time Don pointed us to Proverbs 3 verses five through six, giving us the first two of four main points, God blesses obedience so who will you trust on today's program you'll discover what an intimate walk with God is all about and how it leads to the certainty of God's blessing. Let's join our teacher now in the truth. Pulpit. You see we we think about trust in the sense of just a blind blind trust and I don't know what's going to happen and I'm just going to trust that everything works out okay. That's not biblical.

Trust there.

There is nothing glorifying to God, thinking that way, nothing at all.

No, what trust is, biblically speaking, as you can see from what we have said is the trust is the righteous confidence that we render toward God in response to revealed certainties is a revealed certainty that God's loving grace is wholly true infinite self existent, and that he is good and faithful to his people.

The name form used here Lord and IN your English text Yahweh.

The covenant keeping promise keeping God to his people. That's who God is. He keeps his promises to his people say believe that Christian well that should affect the way that you think about the future of life, even in the most severe circumstances and some of my know a really severe I get that were not talking about our circumstances here that shift and change with the waves of the ocean were talking about who God is and who God is revealed himself to be and this is certain. This is this is more certain then your next breath. Beloved and so when we say we trust in the Lord with all our hearts were saying we believe the revealed certainties about God.

We believe the revealed certainties about his character.

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe his shed blood was sufficient to cleanse us from all sin and that in loving, gracious promises and makes that if you believe in me. Forgive all your sins and take you into heaven, that's what we believe and it certain can't be denied without sin.

And so when when Scripture calls you to trust in the Lord with all your heart, your to know who he is to know his promises and to commit yourself to them in a way that says I unreservedly have confidence in God will be good to me. In the end. No questions, no commas, no hesitation.

That's you trust God like that in the midst of all of the details of life in the midst of death in the midst of sickness in the midst of financial reversal in all of it. You do not let those external passing temporary circumstances knock you off of your spiritual center of gravity that says I know they certainties I believe them not commit myself to them, and more importantly, God has saved me to bring me into that realm of them. What could go wrong in the end Christian friend. It can only come out good for you in the end that's the only possible outcome if you belong to a good God who is sovereign over all this go back.

Let's remind ourselves of these questions you believe the God is sovereign over all. Right. I know you believe that you would be in grace life if you didn't you believe God's good right you believe God is love and first John 478 says God is love. You believe that don't you will then how could it possibly come out bad for you. In the end if you belong to him explain to me that's rhetorical I want I want to stand up and say well yeah no pastor. I do have an idea here is not the point explained to me than in light of his sovereign power in the sovereign love and that you belong to him explain to me how it can come out bad for you. In the end that's impossible. That is not going to happen no matter what's happening now. Now that was easy part. The question is in you and I have all experienced this, you know you know that you're like me and I know that you're like me in this way. Sometimes we get off track. Sometimes we forget. Sometimes we spill over into anxious thoughts and it's that quicksand sinks down pretty quickly. How is it that you get off track and all of these great things it should be a fortress and a bulwark around your heart, your rock in your certainty that you always cling to. How is it you get off track is because you forget the rest of verse five and you start to trust yourself, you start to trust yourself. Look at verse five with me again.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding all you see you say trust is like a two-sided coin we been talking about the positive side of trust in God.

Knowing God, knowing his promises loving that an and in giving ourselves over to it where you have forgotten to bake the cake where you forgotten to flip the pancake so that the other side also warms up and becomes what it should be is that you have not sufficiently abandon your confidence in your own thinking and judgment. Verse five. Look at it again with me. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding as a positive and a negative here. You gotta get both sides right if you're going to be the kind of Christian, the God calls you to be positive command trust in the Lord negative command do not lean on your own understanding word lien is you know just world where you find your support and I lean on this pulpit and supports my weight.

Where is it that you are putting the weight of your confidence in order to be able to have confidence as you look to the future while in the spiritual realm to lean on your own understanding. I can't tell you how important this is. I would, I would stand on this pulpit to emphasize it, just to try to make the point. This is really important for you in the spiritual realm to lean on your own understanding means that your sense of confidence rises and falls based on your perception of your circumstances. We can we can do this in simple ways we can illustrate this with the difficult things simple enough right now I am just consciously relying on the Holy Spirit to work in your heart because there is nothing about my feeble words that can convey the importance of this to persuade you that it's true I'm helpless here you have it you have a sense of disposition. Maybe you don't even consciously think about it like this. It says well we have our health, we have money in the bank this coming year's gonna be pretty good what are you doing there, except relying on your own perception when Scripture says you fool you don't know what your life would be like tomorrow if you have the sense that all is well, because I feel good and I got some money and therefore everything's well you're leaning on your own understanding. When you do that is understandable and as easy as that is to fall into Scripture says don't do that thing about another way, beloved book. I'm here to help you. This is this is the only reason I'm here I'm here because I love you because I want to help you. I got to help you. I gotta be able to speak directly to leaning on your own understanding can look like this. Why does God treat me this way. This is too hard for me but it in in the different context, spiritual context, one if my loved one never comes to saving faith in Christ, what am I going to do then what about what if what if what about all of that you see when you're like that when you're thinking in those kinds of rounds is very tempting to want to illustrate that another dozen ways are not going to get the idea.

You see beloved in this is this is always the problem. This is always the problem with people who have a lot of Bible knowledge and and think that that equates to having personal trust in God at all times like this calls us to. There is more to trusting God than simply acquiring more and more Bible knowledge or a lot of people with a lot of Bible knowledge whose lives are a mess to give you no sense of calm serenity as they go through life. So let's make sure that we understand what we're talking about here. Let's love each other enough to be honest and not make excuses for each other here. This is so important. Here's what happens. You hear the great truths about redemption in Christ. You hear that the wonderful truth about the character of God, the unchanging nature that he is and to that because I'm speaking to brothers and sisters in Christ.

Right you say a man great. You should say amen to that.

You need to know the great truth of redemption. You need to know the great character and attributes of God talk about something a little bit different here today, though, when it comes to your life.

Beloved right where you're at right now. Today here's the question.

And here's how you can find out if you are trusting in your own understanding or not or if you're trusting God like Scripture calls you to do easy, what is the next word out of your mouth when you say amen to all those things. But the next thing that you say your contemplating life in your dwindling bank account contemplating dealing with the latest bad prognosis from the doctor sorrows the accumulated sorrows. The chronic pain of life. The just never seems to go away and there's no prospect that it will what's the next word out of your mouth. I'll tell you what it usually is. For far too many of us having heard the great character of God, the great redemption in Christ. Would you like me to just get to the point. What's this word I got here at I want to know the person was leaning on his own understanding can be identified by this one word because he will hear the character of God will hear the promises of Christ is here.

The future of heaven, and then he or she will say, but I know all of that is true but you don't understand my circumstances, you know you don't understand that life is hard. You don't understand, but see, you don't see that my problem can't change everything is but but but I know that's true but my situation is different when you mean your situation is different. Kind of boastful, self-centered pride is that when Scripture says you trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding. Where do any of us get off saying but in response to divine revelation like what we been luxuriating in how can you say back to that know what the word but is but his words contrast but is saying that's true, but this is also true. This is equally important.

This is where I'm going to center my thought and attention at I know that's true but life and somehow, in fairness, and kindness. You probably never thought about it that way but that's exactly what you're doing. You see beloved.

This is so vital. This is so central to your spiritual well-being. You know what word trust uses know what the word of trust is trust doesn't say but and thereby push the character of God away and push the redemption in Christ away and pushed the hope of heaven away but but but leaving yourself to your own circumstances and resource trust uses a different word trust says therefore trust says therefore trust can look at its life say this is really bad. This is really difficult didn't see this coming. I feel like a freight train is run over me. Trust in that. Here's the character of God, loving, gracious, knows the hairs on your head knows what you need before you ask, no one will pluck them out of my hand heaven and earth will pass away, my word will not pass away. Trust years that says therefore I believe those things. Therefore, I am going to look at my circumstances with confidence in the future because I know that God always blesses his children and I am one of his children.

Therefore, he will bless me to despise what it looks like right now, so ask yourself, help yourself. This is the this is the bridge from what you know to be true about Scripture and theology. This is the bridge between that revealed truth and how it plays out in your soul are you going to trust God enough to believe him enough to say therefore I'm not going to be afraid. Therefore, I will look forward to the future with confidence. Therefore, I will persevere without complaint without resentment without retaliation against those who've wronged me say this shapes everything you can look at the wicked things and people did in your past say God was over that. Therefore, I want to trust him going forward. You can look at reversals.

Now you can look at the way you been passed over for different stuff so you know what God loves me God's overall. Therefore, under the trust in I'm not to be angry not to be bitter not to be jealous and I can argue another fight back but, or, therefore C trust says therefore my brother and sister in Christ, I'm affirming as I say these things you believe in who God is. You believe in Christ you belong to him. I can't say the next word for you. I can only tell you what it is. The next word out of your mouth to be. Therefore I will not be afraid. Therefore, I will trust him. Therefore I will not even fear death because I trust him all the way I trust and without condition without qualification. I just trust him. You see, in the days to come. I want you to stop and think about this in light of what were saying in the context of what were talking about the word, but out of your mouth opposes the truth therefore submits to the truth and puts its confidence in it. What's going to be for you but for therefore now third point never going to go a lot more quickly.

There's a lot to like to go through here. Let's go on to verse six and see point number three. The call and the call is an intimate walk with God. We said the context was God blesses obedience.

The contrast is who you trust God yourself. Thirdly, we see the call in the call is to an intimate walk with God. You see beloved lover talking about here.

This intimate walk with God, trusting God is a comprehensive approach to life. This is what you do all the time in every circumstance.

This is why I said at the beginning. This passage is defining why you exist. There is no circumstance in your life or this does not apply. Look at verse six. The simplest and plainest of languages says in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Says here's what you do in all your ways acknowledge him, here's a promise. He'll make your paths straight. Now in English, you and I think about the word, acknowledging kind of a superficial way. At least that's one way that technology can be used here. We think of acknowledge as a matter of flight, superficial recognition now you pass a stranger in the aisle at the grocery store you might not at him and acknowledge his presence hello hello you just nod your head and you acknowledging by nodding at him this word and what this is talking about here is not that superficial approach at all. This Hebrew word in this context is expressing intimate knowledge. It's the same word that is used in Exodus when God says he's known Moses by name. I know him the same word that's used in Psalm 139, when the psalmist tells God says you know when I sit down and rise up what could be more intimate. What to be more close than that.

God knows when you sit down when you rise up point here is not divine omniscience is the meaning of this word know this talking about an intimate knowledge of a thorough intimacy with him will diversified again. Verse five says trust in the Lord with all your heart. Verse six says no him in all your ways. You see beloved, you see that this is calling you to a thorough pervasive knowledge of God, a lifelong pursuit of a deeper understanding of him and trust in him and communion with him.

The covers all of your activities.

All of your affections.

All of your priorities. Everything in life falls in here, doesn't it trust the Lord with all of your heart in all your ways. No him closely. Jesus said greatest commandment love the Lord your God with what all your heart or soul, all you might all your mind. Pervasive first Corinthians 10 verse 31 says what is it say you tell me whether you eat or drink whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. See, there is this thoroughgoing intimacy of which Scripture speaks in which Proverbs chapter 3 verses five and six apply to what that means is this, among other things, means this beloved trusting God is not your last refuge is not your last appeal. When everything else is failed is not where you go when all of life is gone wrong know that's trusting God. Knowing God, acknowledging God knowing him. That's what you do on the front end.

That's what you do.

Now that's that's where you without the pressure and without the appeal and without the temptation of earthly circumstances around you.

You say I'm going to set my heart and mind to know him and this will be the pattern of my life. This is the fundamental core commitment of my heart to know him and to trust him.

Everything else is secondary.

Everything else is details. That is the claim on your heart that the Lord Jesus Christ makes Christ will own all of you.

Christ calls all of you to comment submission to him to come in trusting him to come in loving adoration to him. No division of life.

No pockets where okay. This area sends okay because I like it all. Give God every everything else know in all your ways. You know you don't know how bad it is. No, in all your ways. No him, acknowledge him, trust him, be confident in him rely on him, even when you can't see the outcome.

Beloved, don't you understand, don't you understand the trust would be meaningless if you could always see the way it was going to work out, then trust would be meaningless, then there's no there's no love of character. There's no knowledge of the character of God built-in that any any non-Christian can be confident in the future if all the circumstances are lined up to his liking: used to be different for you to have a fundamental sense of serenity and confidence because you know who this God is in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Essay one more time.

11. Knowing and trusting God is the reason you exist. This is your purpose in life and God gives you different life circumstances and things work out differently. You just take it all. This is the life that God has given you in which you will know him and you will trust him. Okay final point, the comfort is this the comfort is this. He will bless you. He will bless you. God promises to bless the one who walks with him in this way. Look at verse six in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Matthew Henry says this, he says, in all our ways that prove fair and pleasant. We acknowledge God with thankfulness in all our ways. The prove cross and uncomfortable. We acknowledge God with submission.

However, I must ever be toward God.

Those that put themselves under a divine guidance shall always have the benefit of today on the truth. Pulpit pastor Don Greene has concluded our series a word of trust and the message. Therefore, I will trust you if you truly trust God.

That word therefore replaces the word but there's more.

Great teaching headed your way. Next time, so don't miss a moment right now though Don's back in studio with news of a great resource. My friends would bring today's broadcast to close one offer you a very special gift of special resources gift from our ministry is my series called trusting God and trying times in this series over the years has proven to be the most popular set of messages that I've ever done. It helps you know how to trust God as you're going through the deep sorrows that sometimes come to us in life comes from the book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament, and it comes from some very deep sorrows of my own that were present early in my Christian life is very personal. It's very helpful. It's very biblical I would love to see you have it in your hands is available in CD album or by download transcripts are available if you prefer that my friend Bill is going to give you information on how to find just visit our website at the truth. Pulpit.com to get the resource. Don just mentioned. Once again, that's the truth. Pulpit.com ideal right and will see you next time, truthful