HEALTHY INDEPENDENCE-V—Jeremiah 17:1-14
Attention:
Christian parents raise our children with the idea that they will one day leave home & live productive lives apart form their parents.
We expend our greatest efforts toward sufficiently preparing them for life in the ‘real world’ with God at the helm.
We make sure that our children know the importance of being saved.
We attempt to train them up in the nurture & admonition of the Lord.
We attempt to train them up in the way that God has intended for them to go.
We want our children to be testimony to the power of God thru a Christian belief system, mindset, & life choices.
In short, Christian parents raise their children to have a healthy independence.
Jn. 15:18-19—Jesus told His disciples:—“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
Jn. 17:15-16—Jesus prayed for His disciples:—“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
God’s people must exhibit a ‘Healthy’ independence from the world in which they live.
?Are you living INDEPENDENTLY of that which has potential to destroy you?
The prophet Jeremiah contrasted two major aspects of Independence—Independence from God versus independence from the world.
*Dependence upon YHWH brings independence from worldly influence.
What can be gleaned by contrasting healthy & unhealthy independence?
*How can I be independent of worldly influence?
So far we’ve found that A Healthy Independence Engages(deals with/handles/manages)...
1. A RESIDENT REBELLION(:1)
2. An ABERRANT EDUCATION(:2)
3. BLINDLY SIGHTED BENEFITS(:3-4)
4. An ANGERING LIFESTYLE(:4e)
5. MISPLACED/Aberrant TRUSTS(:5)
6. The ‘CURSE’ Of MISPLACED/Aberrant TRUST(:6)
Today we’ll find that...
7—A Healthy Independence Engages(deals with/handles/manages)...
A CORRECTED TRUST(:7)
Explanation:(:7)
:7—“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope is the LORD.”
“Blessed...”
*What does it mean for a person to be “Blessed”?
•To be “blessed” is to have God’s ‘good’ bestowed upon you...To be “blessed” is to be afforded a life that is the opposite of, &/or is in stark contrast to living a’life’ cursed of God(:5-6).
•An important note: The “Blessing” upon one’s life is FROM “the LORD”—YHWH—the eternal God.
The “blessedness” of corrected or proper “trust” comes upon YOUR placing “trust” & “hope” in YHWH...in the God who has sought out & openly revealed Himself to mankind...in the God who does not operate under the cloak of mystery!
•Some may think to themselves: “But preacher, doesn’t the Bible speak of the ‘mystery’ of the Christ & the mystery of the church?
a.—Jesus Himself told His disciples: Mark 4:11-12—“And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, “so that ‘Seeing they may see & not perceive, And hearing they may hear & not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’””
•Certain people have an inquisitiveness to answer “the mystery” thru the willful correction of their “trust.”
•Many others prefer a ‘lack of detail’ in spiritual matters...Their’s is a ‘belief system’ built upon generalities & suppositions. These paint with broad strokes & are enamored with the uncertainties of spiritual riddles. Thus they surround & encapsulate themselves & others with spiritual ‘pseudo-truth’ instead of facts that are available to them ‘right under their noses.’ By doing so, these invite a cursed ‘life’ upon themselves.
b.—Rom. 16:25-27—“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel & the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, & by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith-- to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.”
•That is, the intricate details of all that surrounds the kingdom of God would not be fleshed out until the promised Messiah/Shiloh/Christ/Jesus would step into history. Those details include among other things: Jesus’ specific identity, The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in every believer, & the extension of God’s people, the church, beyond any geographical or political borders.
“Blessed”—Krb baw-rak’—Qal Participle Passive—1) To bless, kneel—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To kneel, 1a2) To bless; 1b) (Niphal)--To be blessed, bless oneself; 1c) (Piel)--To bless; 1d) (Pual)--To be blessed, be adored; 1e) (Hiphil)--To cause to kneel; 1f) (Hithpael)--To bless oneself; 2) (TWOT)--To praise, salute, curse. Strong—To kneel; by implication--To bless God(as an act of adoration), & (vice-versa) man(as a benefit); also by euphemism--To curse(God or the king, as treason); a primitive root.
“the man who trusts in the LORD,...”
As the CURSE of ‘worldly living’ is invited to & remains upon the one whose heart willingly chooses to ‘depart’ from the LORD(:5)....
So also the “BLESSING” is invited to & remains upon the one “who “trusts” in the LORD.” Yes, YOU can INVITE God’s blessing to yourself!
*It must be said here that a person CAN be “blessed”!
•Some of you don’t feel worthy of God’s blessing...And you are right, you aren’t worthy! You rely on the fact that you have ‘accumulated’ so much ‘bad’ stuff in your life that the scales are not tipped in your favor.—so many things that are out of character for God’s people—that God wouldn’t even look at you twice for consideration for heaven. Yes, IF God makes His determinations for worthiness, based on YOUR previous decisions & actions. BUT the reality is, that God bases His determination of your ‘worthiness’ upon one thing & one thing only. He bases it upon YOUR “TRUST” & “HOPE”!
•I put MY “TRUST” & my “HOPE” in Jesus Christ. I absolutely “TRUST” & “HOPE” in His divinity—That He is God. I put MY “TRUST” & “HOPE” in His being indivisible from the triune God, along with the God the Father & God the Holy Spirit. Yet, I put MY “TRUST” & “HOPE” in each one—Father, Son, Holy Spirit—being separate persons of that Trinitarian existence.
Therefore, I put MY “TRUST” & “HOPE” in the fact that Jesus paid the price—met the quota—that was required(by God) to cover my sinfulness(sinful nature), & for the sins that are born out that sinfulness(sinful nature). Even ONE sin that I would commit, absolutely REQUIRES reconciliation with God, & that by means of MY DEATH.
HOWEVER, the eternal God has provided the unique & singular SUBSTITUTIONARY sacrifice that would truly COVER my inherent sinfulness(sinful nature), & thus would also cover all the sins that have & will(since I’m still alive) flow from my sinful nature.
That SUBSTITUTIONARY sacrifice that God has provided, is none other than the unique & singular JESUS(‘YHWH is Salvation’)...the Christ...the Son of the Living God! “the man who...”
As in :5a, the “man”(rbg) upon whom the “blessing” of God remains is a “man” recognized for his strength & ability. He is valiant & not a disrespected among others, nor is he lacking intelligence.
“who trusts in the LORD,...”
A man that is “blessed” is a man who “trusts in” YHWH so much so, that all his “hope” is centered upon that ongoing relationship of “trust.”
The moment you “trust” in the eternal God—Father, Son, & Holy Spirit—for the first time...in that initial moment when you invite God into your life, you invite Him to utterly transform your life. And He will. And He continues do so thruout your life, IF you will allow Him to(1Cor. 3:11-17).
1Cor. 3:11-17—“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God & that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”
Upon your accepting Christ Jesus as your Savior, you are then fully equipped, by God Himself, to heed His voice & live for Him, increasing in His knowledge & growing in relationship with Him.
“And whose hope is the LORD.”
When a Christian says that they ‘hope in the Lord’, what they are saying is that their personal “hope” is “trust” & is certain. They are saying that they are ‘banking all’ their “hope” upon & in Christ Jesus. They are saying that their heart & head belief is ‘settled’ & ‘non-negotiably’ in Jesus.
Therefore, for the Christian, no other god can unseat the biblical God from His throne. Therefore, for the Christian, any other claim to divinity by a person, or a spirit, or a philosophy, is regarded for what it is... false, wrong, demonic, dehumanizing, & evil, etc.
“Man”(See :5)—rbg geh’-ber—Noun Masc.—1) Man, strong man, warrior(emphasizing strength or ability to fight). Strong—properly--A valiant man or warrior; generally--A person simply.
“Trusts”(See :5)—xjb baw-takh’—Qal Imperfect—1) To trust—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To trust, trust in, 1a2) To have confidence, be confident, 1a3) To be bold, 1a4) To be secure; 1b) (Hiphil)--1b1) To cause to trust, make secure; 2) (TWOT)--To feel safe, be careless. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To hide for refuge[but not so precipitately as hox]; figuratively--To trust, be confident or sure.
“LORD”2X—hwhy Yeh-ho-vaw’—Noun Proper Deity—Jehovah = “the existing One”—1) The proper name of the one true God—1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of ynda Ad-o-noy’. Strong—from hyh[To exist, be, become, come to pass]; (the)Self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.
“Hope”—xjbm mib-tawkh’—Noun Masc.—1) Trust, confidence, refuge—1a) Act of confiding, 1b) Object of confidence, 1c) State of confidence, security. Strong—properly--A refuge, i.e. objective--Security, or subjective--Assurance.?From—xjb baw-takh’—properly--To hide for refuge[but not so precipitately as hox[to flee for protection; to confide in.]]; figuratively--To trust, be confident or sure.
Argumentation:
Gen. 4:3-7—“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock & of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel & his offering, but He did not respect Cain & his offering. And Cain was very angry, & his countenance fell.So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.””
Instead of trying to find exactly what it was that had displeased God about Cain’s sacrifice, Cain chose to instead get mad about it & to pout...& become jealous...& to blame...& scheme & plot & eventually to destroy even his own brother!
*You see the glaring difference between a Christian & a non-Christian is this:
A—•When the CHRISTIAN has offended God, he/she is HUMBLED by the fact that they have offended the very one who has saved them. The CHRISTIAN approaches God about the solution—how to undo the offense...how to be reconciled with the eternal God.
Heb. 4:14-16—“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.”
B—•Whereas the NON-CHRISTIAN will maintain their PRIDEFUL approach to God—looking for acceptance or reinstatement ON THEIR TERMS—& by which the non-Christian has brought offense in the first place!
Jn. 3:18-21—“He who believes in Him[the Son, Jesus] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.[personal pride has snatched away faith] And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, & men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light & does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.””
I have seen this at work wherever I’ve been, & I will continue to see it wherever I go. Whether I’m at First Baptist or Last Baptist, PRIDE will rear it’s ugly arrogant head & open it’s filthy condemning mouth, in order to tear God’s people down, as well as others, so that they themselves are left foolishly standing alone to declare ‘I won!’ Pride lives in the stupidity & filth of self-satisfaction!
Pride keeps multitudes of people out of heaven...And Pride sends multitudes of people to hell.
1Jn. 2:15-17—We are cautioned—“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Application:
In order to experience a healthy independence FROM the world, a person must bring about a CORRECTION to their current Trust(in the world/flesh). That is, a person must be willing to exchange their current trust—in the world & flesh—for different & contrasting “trust.”
This is why we can say that Christianity is an exclusive religion...A polarizing religion. No one & no thing can take God’s place in the Christian’s hierarchy of belief. No other belief system can be allowed to infiltrate or supplant the true Christian’s “trust” & hope.”
?Are you properly engaging A CORRECTED TRUST?
?Are you exhibiting A Healthy Independence?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Christian parents attempt to raise their children understanding that they need to have a healthy independence.
Action:
A Healthy Independence Engages(deals with/handles/manages)...
7. A CORRECTED TRUST(:7)
1. A RESIDENT REBELLION(:1)
2. An ABERRANT EDUCATION(:2)
3. BLINDLY SIGHTED BENEFITS(:3-4)
4. An ANGERING LIFESTYLE(:4e)
5. MISPLACED/Aberrant TRUSTS(:5)
6. The ‘CURSE’ Of MISPLACED/Aberrant TRUST(:6)
Pt# 7 only! Video Presented 08/23/2020am to:
1BCCbelle(Video to YouTube shared to Facebook @ ‘Byron Sherman’ & ’First Baptist Church Carrabelle’)
206 SE Ave. A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
