Genuine Trust Makes Faith Complete
9/18/05
Over the years I have watched
Christians who worked so hard at having faith with little success because they
didn’t know how to trust.
The definition of trust: 1) a reliance or resting of the mind on the
integrity of another; confident expectation.
2) to allow someone to do something without fear of consequences.
Faith is an action
word.
Ja.
2:17 In the same way, faith by itself,
if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Trust involves secure
rest and peace of mind whatever the situation.
Is. 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in
the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
Trust is the foundation for
faith. Faith cannot be complete without
trust.
If
you cannot trust God for whatever He chooses, your faith is not complete!
If
you cannot accept anything other than what you want your faith is not complete!
Heb. 11:32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice,
and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of
the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in
battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women
received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released,
so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and
put in prison. 37They were stoned£; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword.
They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and
mistreated—38the world was not worthy of them. They
wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39These were all commended for their faith,
yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with
us would they be made perfect.
Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego had the faith to believe God
for deliverance...they also had the trust to accept whatever He did.
Dan. 3:8 At this time some astrologers came forward
and denounced the Jews. 9They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king,
live forever! 10You have issued a decree, O king, that
everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and
all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11and
that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing
furnace. 12But there are some Jews whom you have set
over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who
pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the
image of gold you have set up.”
13Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have
set up? 15Now when you hear the sound of the horn,
flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to
fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship
it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will
be able to rescue you from my hand?”
16Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to
the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in
this matter. 17If we are thrown into the blazing furnace,
the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your
hand, O king. 18But even if he does not, we want you to
know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you
have set up.”
19Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He
ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21So
these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound
and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22The king’s command was so urgent and the
furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23and these three men, firmly tied, fell
into the blazing furnace.
24Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his
feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied
up and threw into the fire?”
They replied,
“Certainly, O king.”
25He said, “Look! I see four men walking
around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of
the gods.”
26Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening
of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants
of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27and the
satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw
that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads
singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to
the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued
his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were
willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except
their own God. 29Therefore I decree that the people of any
nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble,
for no other god can save in this way.”
30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Trust requires courage.
Trust is never proven after a
victory, it's proven just before one!
Num. 33:1 Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when
they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2At the LORD’S command Moses recorded the stages in their
journey. This is their journey by stages:
3The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth
day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out
boldly in full view of all the Egyptians, 4who were burying
all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had
brought judgment on their gods.
Ex. 13:17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on
the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God
said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”
18So God led the people around by
the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed
for battle.
Ex. 14:10 (Living Bible) As
the Egyptian army approached, the people of Israel saw them far in the
distance, speeding after them, and they were terribly frightened and cried out
to the Lord to help them.
11And they turned against Moses, whining, “Have you
brought us out here to die in the desert because there were not enough graves
for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 12Isn’t this what
we told you, while we were slaves, to leave us alone? We said it would be
better to be slaves to the Egyptians than dead in the wilderness.”
13But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just
stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will
rescue you today. The Egyptians you are looking at—you will never see them
again. 14The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t need to lift a
finger!”
15Then the Lord said to Moses, “Quit praying and get the
people moving! Forward, march! 16Use your rod—hold it out over the
water, and the sea will open up a path before you, and all the people of Israel
shall walk through on dry ground! 17I will harden the hearts of the
Egyptians, and they will go in after you and you will see the honor I will get
in defeating Pharaoh and all his armies, chariots, and horsemen. 18And
all Egypt shall know that I am Jehovah.”
19Then the Angel of God, who was leading the people of
Israel, moved the cloud around behind them, 20and it stood between
the people of Israel and the Egyptians. And that night, as it changed to a
pillar of fire, it gave darkness to the Egyptians but light to the people of
Israel! So the Egyptians couldn’t find the Israelis!
21Meanwhile, Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and
the Lord opened up a path through the sea, with walls of water on each side;
and a strong east wind blew all that night, drying the sea bottom. 22So
the people of Israel walked through the sea on dry ground! 23Then
the Egyptians followed them between the walls of water along the bottom of the
sea—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen. 24But in the
early morning Jehovah looked down from the cloud of fire upon the array of the
Egyptians, and began to harass them. 25Their chariot wheels began
coming off, so that their chariots scraped along the dry ground. “Let’s get out
of here,” the Egyptians yelled. “Jehovah is fighting for them and against us.”
26When all the Israelites were on the other side, the
Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand again over the sea, so that the
waters will come back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27Moses
did, and the sea returned to normal beneath the morning light. The Egyptians
tried to flee, but the Lord drowned them in the sea. 28The water
covered the path and the chariots and horsemen. And of all the army of Pharaoh
that chased after Israel through the sea, not one remained alive.
29The people of Israel had walked through on dry land,
and the waters had been walled up on either side of them.
30Thus Jehovah saved Israel that day from the Egyptians;
and the people of Israel saw the Egyptians dead, washed up on the seashore. 31When
the people of Israel saw the mighty miracle the Lord had done for them against
the Egyptians, they were afraid and revered the Lord, and believed in him and
in his servant Moses.
Where was their trust in God?
Trapped against the sea, the
Israelites faced the Egyptian army sweeping in for the kill. The Israelites
thought they were doomed. After watching God’s powerful hand deliver them from
Egypt, their only response was fear, whining, and despair. Israel had to learn from repeated experience
that God was able to provide for them.
By focusing on God’s
faithfulness in the past, we can face crises with confidence rather than with
fear and complaining.
The Lord longs for us to
trust Him. Trust is one of the greatest
expressions of love we can show the Lord Jesus.
Ps. 50:7 (Living Bible) O my
people, listen! For I am your God. Listen! Here are my charges against you: 8I
have no complaint about the sacrifices you bring to my altar, for you bring
them regularly. 9But it isn’t sacrificial bullocks and goats that I
really want from you. 10-11For all the animals of field and forest
are mine! The cattle on a thousand hills! And all the birds upon the mountains!
12If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you—for all the world
is mine and everything in it. 13No, I don’t need your sacrifices of
flesh and blood. 14-15What I want from you is your true thanks; I
want your promises fulfilled. I
want you to trust me in your times of trouble, so I can rescue you and you can
give me glory.
Trust believes from the heart
that God is in control of every aspect of your life.
Ps.
31:14 But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands;
You can trust in the Living
God because you know how much He loves you.
Ps.
13:5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
for
he has been good to me.
Ps.
52:8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
Trying to exercise faith
without being grounded in trust will leave you disheartened, discouraged,
embittered and confused:
2 Sam. 12:15 After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck
the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill.
16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and
went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground.
17 The elders of his household stood beside him to get
him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with
them.
18 On the seventh day the child died. David's servants
were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, "While
the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us.
How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate."
19 David noticed that his servants were whispering among
themselves and he realized the child was dead. "Is the child dead?"
he asked. "Yes," they replied, "he is dead."
20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had
washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the
LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they
served him food, and he ate.
21 His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this
way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is
dead, you get up and eat!"
22 He answered, "While the child was still alive, I
fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let
the child live.'
23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I
bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
Pouring your heart out before
the Lord in the right way strengthens your trust.
Ps.
62:8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for
God is our refuge.
Trust and fear cannot exist
at the same time.
Psalm
56
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on
Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized
him in Gath.
1 Be merciful to me, O
God, for men hotly pursue me;
all day long they press their
attack.
2 My slanderers pursue
me all day long;
many are attacking me in their
pride.
3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I
praise,
in God I trust; I will not
be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?
5 All day long they
twist my words;
they are always plotting to harm
me.
6 They conspire, they
lurk,
they watch my steps,
eager to take my life.