Title: God Is My Source
Text: Psalm 118:8-9
8 “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.”
I want to remind you of a very simple truth. "God is My Source." Sometimes we get off track a little and need to be reminded of this very simple truth. Too many times we have a tendency of always depending on ourselves to meet our needs. We run behind in our bills, so we look for a part-time job to make up for it. And if you are able to get another part-time job, then I say you need to do that. But when we depend on the arm of flesh to meet needs for us more than the hand of God that is when we go wrong.
Matthew 6:24-34; “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (NIV)
When we realize that God is truly the source of all our successes, then we will:
I. GET RID OF THE BAGGAGE
Sometimes we think that baggage just means sins. Baggage is anything that is holding you back from receiving everything that God has for you.
The biggest baggage that we can have is worry! The only time that we worry is when we start depending on ourselves to see us through. God loves you and He is concerned with everything that you are facing. He cares about you. Listen to how He wants to take care of you:
Psalm 37:5; “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
Psalm 55:22; “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
I Peter 5:7; “Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.”
When we realize the source of all our answers is Jesus, then we will have no problem giving our problems and concerns over to Jesus. When you depend on yourself, you carry all the stress, you carry all the burdens, you carry all the anxieties from life, you carry all the baggage, but when you learn to depend on Jesus for every need in your life, then you can be free from all that turmoil and all that baggage.
Hebrews 12:1-2; ¶ “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
ILLUSTRATION: Letting weights pile up on me and eventually getting too much to handle. Lay aside those weights.
Actually the Scripture gives us a promise that we need to grab a hold of.
Philippians 4:6-7; “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
The Bible PROMISES us that if we will learn to be free from worry and anxiety, then we will have the peace of God ruling in our lives. When the source of your success is Jesus, then there is no stress. I know that some here today are experiencing stress because of family situations, others are experiencing anxiety because of financial problems, but God wants you to hand those problems over to Him. You were never created for the purpose of carrying all those burdens. He wants you to give them up.
The circumstances around you may appear bad, REALLY BAD.
➢ Your bank account may have dried up.
➢ You may have recently lost your job.
➢ Maybe you don’t know how you are going to pay next month’s rent or mortgage.
➢ You may be up to your eyeballs in credit card debt.
➢ Maybe the friends that you once trusted have actually disappointed you.
➢ Maybe you have just received a devastating medical report.
➢ The whole world seems to be crashing down around you and you feel crushed, discouraged and frustrated.
If you are like that today, it is time to turn your eyes away from yourself and start looking to Jesus. There is an old chorus:
➢ Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.
I just want this message to serve as a reminder to us, that we need to stop looking at our circumstances and start looking upon Jesus. In Him, you will find ALL your answers. God is our source! In your frustration you may be thinking, “What can Jesus do for me? Can He rescue me from the crisis that I am in?” We all know the answer to that question. It is an emphatic yes! No matter how low you may go, Jesus is the answer and He is the source of all your success. All the glory belongs to Him. Once we realize that God is our source we will get rid of all our baggage, and we will in turn:
II. TRUST HIM
I told you this was a basic message today. I just want to remind us that God is our source and if we truly believe that then we can give our baggage to Him and we can also trust Him with all our problems and circumstances. The Scripture reminds us over and over again that we are to put our trust in Him.
Psalm 56:2-11, "My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High. 3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? 5 All day they twist my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They gather together, they hide; they mark my steps, when they lie in wait for my life. 7 Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God! 8 ¶You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? 9 When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me. 10 In God (I will praise His word), In the LORD (I will praise His word), 11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
David knew where to put his trust! He could trust because he knew God was his source and he knew God was for him.
Psalm 32:10, "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him."
Psalm 125:1-2, ¶ "Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever."
Proverbs 29:25, ¶ "The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe."
Isaiah 12:2, "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.'"
II Samuel 22:30-34, "For by You I can run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall. 31 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 32 "For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 33 God is my strength and power; And He makes my way perfect. 34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places."
Isaiah 26:3, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."
Jeremiah 17:5-8, ¶ "Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit."
Hopefully you can see by the Word of God just how important it is to put your trust in Jesus. Put your trust in Jesus, He will see you through. That is a complete 100% guarantee! In your success or your failure, just remind yourself that God is your source. When you are making lots of money, realize that all that money is coming your way only because God is your source. When you are making next to nothing from week to week, you need to realize that God is your source. In plenty or in lack, understand this! God is My Source!
