Daring to Trust
Selected Passages
Series: Daring Discipleship
August 27, 2006
Morning Service
Introduction
William Penn, the founder of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was well liked by the Indians. Once they told him he could have as much of their land as he could encompass on foot in a single day. So, early the next morning he started out and walked until late that night. When he finally went to claim his land, the Indians were greatly surprised, for they really didn’t think he would take them seriously. But they kept their promise and gave him a large area which today is part of the city of Philadelphia. William Penn simply believed what they said.
Last week we started a new series of messages called Daring Discipleship. Discipleship is essentially the desire to follow Jesus and be like Him. A disciple wants to become like their master. Being like Jesus is much harder than many might think. This is why we need to be daring. To be daring is to be bold, and courageous. Discipleship is the journey of following Jesus and the adventure of a lifetime.
When it comes to discipleship, trust is a must. If you are going to go anywhere with Jesus, you have to trust Him.
What does it mean to trust?
Webster: Basic dependence on someone or something, Belief that something will happen or someone will act is a prescribed way
Trust is found in our unswerving belief that the God of Heaven will indeed work on our behalf to bring His perfect will for our lives into being
Biblical Examples of Trust
Moses trusted God to deliver the Israelites at the Red Sea.
Joseph trusted God while he languished in the Pharaoh’s prison.
Hezekiah trusted God to extend his life
Jehoshaphat trusted God to deliver Jerusalem from their enemies
Jonah trusted God to answer his prayer in the belly of the whale.
Peter and John trusted God as they stood before the Sanhedrin and gave their defense of the Christian faith.
Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment. trust in your friends and they will die and leave you. Trust in money and you may have it taken away from you. Trust in reputation and some slanderous tongues will blast it. Buttrsut in od and you are never to confounded in time or eternity. Dwight Moody
What does it mean to place your trust in God? What does it mean to trust Him with all your heart? Open your Bibles to Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust Killers
1.) Worry
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Luke 12:29-31
2.) Self Reliance
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD. Isaiah 31:1
3.) Doubt
6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:6-8
4.) Disbelief
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6
5.) Sin
But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Galatians 3:22
6.) Fear
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? Psalm 56:4
1. Trust brings us God’s goodness
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me John 14:1
Jesus was calling the disciples to trust God through any and every circumstance of life. He was about to be crucified and they would be scattered. Jesus was telling them to trust even when they did not understand because God was still at work
2. Trust brings you God’s grace
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8
George Washington, alone and cold and discouraged at Valley Forge penned these words to his favorite chaplain, Rev. Israel Evans: "It will ever be the first wish of my heart to aid your pious endeavors to inculcate a due sense of the dependence we ought to place in that all wise and powerful being on whom alone our success depends."
3. Trust brings us God’s guidance
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight Proverbs 3:5-6
Conclusion
The Trust Fall
You can trust God because He is...
your deliverer (Jer 39:18)
your refuge and fortress (Ps 91:2)
help and shield (Ps 115:8)
strength (
security (Ps 125:1)
rock eternal (Is 26:4)
God always has been and always will be. He hung the stars in place and made you in His image. You can trust Him! God raised up His people and proved His faithful to all generations. God is all powerful, all knowing and always present. You can trust Him! God is good and his love endures forever. He is gracious and merciful to all who call on Him. God will never let you down and He will never let you go. You can trust Him!
You can trust Him. He is worthy of your trust
