Deepening Our Trust

Deepening Our Trust

August 18, 2024

INTRODUCTION

Digging Footers and fence posts when I was young…

Is it deep enough?

Getting below the frost line – so that your foundation or fence post isn’t adversely affected by what is going on above the ground

Surly we’re deep enough…

Tired, better things to do, etc.

Dig deeper

Deeper is needed for strength and stability

Strength – to support what is above ground

Stability – ability to maintain true even though circumstances change

Shallow Living: not having the depth needed to live well

More focused on the surface because it’s more glamorous and exciting

Calling for deep people:

“The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” Richard J. Foster

Continuing our Series: Stories of Hope

Theme: The God who steps into history to help his people

Central Idea:

God has revealed his faithfulness to his people by stepping into history and acting on their behalf for their good. The stories of the Bible remind God’s people that hope is possible because of His love and faithfulness. As a result, we are called to bend our hearts, strengthen our faith, and live with purpose because He is ever present in our story.

Theme Verse:

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23)

Last Week we began looking at Psalm 115

Becoming Alive

To live for something greater we need to look to someone higher

Deepening Our Trust

KEY POINT: An undying hope requires an undaunted trust in the living God

Undaunted: To be courageously resolute in the face of danger or difficulty, not frightened or discouraged despite problems, lack of success, and not afraid to continue doing something or trying to do something even though there are problems, dangers, etc.

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Tension: Dealing with uncertainty, facing difficulty, or encountering danger

TEXT: Psalm 115

Likely a passage written while in Exile or shortly after the exile:

If during exile, written to a displaced people trying to make sense of where they are and what they should be doing

If written after exile, while building temple or walls among hostile neighbors; also the sense that it is not necessarily going has hoped or anticipated

A call to trust YHWH by the Psalmist

A recognition of the human capacity to waver during times of difficulty and uncertainty

Setting Egyptian Hallel Psalms (113-118)

Read/recite during Passover meal

Meal was an annual reminder of their rescue and redemption

God’s promise for something greater

1Not to us, Lord, not to us

but to your name be the glory,

because of your love and faithfulness.

2Why do the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

3Our God is in heaven;

he does whatever pleases him.

4But their idols are silver and gold,

made by human hands.

5They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but cannot see.

6They have ears, but cannot hear,

noses, but cannot smell.

7They have hands, but cannot feel,

feet, but cannot walk,

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

8Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them.

9All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—

he is their help and shield.

10House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—

he is their help and shield.

11You who fear him, trust in the Lord—

he is their help and shield.

12The Lord remembers us and will bless us:

He will bless his people Israel,

he will bless the house of Aaron,

13he will bless those who fear the Lord—

small and great alike.

14May the Lord cause you to flourish,

both you and your children.

15May you be blessed by the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

16The highest heavens belong to the Lord,

but the earth he has given to mankind.

17It is not the dead who praise the Lord,

those who go down to the place of silence;

18it is we who extol the Lord,

both now and forevermore.

Praise the Lord.

Focus on verses 9-11

Note three important ideas in these verses:

· The people of God are called to trust

Three groups of people: to the Israelites, the house of Aaron (the priests), and to those who fear the Lord…

Imperative: TRUST IN THE LORD

TRUST: to attach oneself to, to be confident in, to rely upon

Rooted in relationship: YHWH – the covenant name of God

Trust in the One who has called us

Trust in the One who has rescued us

Trust in the One who has promised us

Faithful and Good

Rely upon:

To depend on…

Chair: expressing confidence in…

Uncle Oscar was apprehensive about his first airplane ride. His friends, eager to hear how it went, asked if he enjoyed the flight. "Well," commented Uncle Oscar, "it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but I'll tell you this. I never did put all my weight down!"

Putting our weight down…

WHY is trust so important?

“Trust is the antidote to anxiety; it’s the resolution of worry and the destruction of fear.” James MacDonald

Wrestling with anxiety…deepen your trust

Confidence in the living God

· Our trust is rooted in His goodness

Some see Psalm 115:9-11 as a call and response

Trust in the Lord

“He is their help and shield”

Trust is an extension of our beliefs

Creedal statements

Why we can trust God:

He is their HELP

HELP: ezer - strength, might

a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose: The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017).

What Eve was to be for Adam

It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent. Jeremy Taylor (Anglican Bishop and Writer)

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He is their SHIELD

figurative - protector (like a shield for battle, or scales on a crocodile)

Our trust is rooted in God’s goodness—a help and shield

He will make up for our insufficiencies

He will guard and protect his people

This is why we can trust!

· God’s presence in our lives is to awaken confidence

Living life with faith

Faith that God is present and working in our lives for our good

Undaunted: To be courageously resolute in the face of danger or difficulty, not frightened or discouraged despite problems, lack of success, and not afraid to continue doing something or trying to do something even though there are problems, dangers, etc.

Stories of the BIBLE: that God is working in and through history to bring good to his creation

He hasn’t stopped working toward that end

The coming of Jesus – to transform our lives for good!

‌ “All we can do, just as it was all the Israelites could do, is to look and trust: to look at Jesus, to see in him the full display of God’s saving love, and to trust in him.” N.T. Wright

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KEY POINT: An undying hope requires an undaunted trust in the living God

Deepening our Trust

1. Reaffirming our commitment

Nobody can trust for you…you must choose to trust!

2. Resting in His grace

Wrestling or Resting?

Struggling as if I have to accomplish everything—if I don’t act, it’s all going to fall apart

Busyness betrays our brokenness

Learning to rest in his grace

He is our help and shield!

Psalm 33:20-22

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”

3. Acting with faith

Waiting is not passively doing nothing, but learning to do our part and resting in God to do his!

Trusting is more than something we say, it is something we do

How does faith act?

Living in obedience with His word, in line with the covenant

Confident that He who promised is faithful!

4. Living with confidence

Confession: God is up to something good in my life!

Even when I don’t see it…

Even when things don’t go as expected…

Even when I mess things up…

Even when…

CONCLUSION

KEY POINT: An undying hope requires an undaunted trust in the living God

Allowing our trust to deepen

Is it deep enough?

Getting below the frost line – so that your foundation or fence post isn’t adversely affected by what is going on above the ground

Deeper is needed for strength and stability

Strength – to support what is above ground

Stability – ability to maintain true even though circumstances change

Shallow Living: not having the depth needed to live well

More focused on the surface because it’s more glamorous and exciting

Calling for deep people:

“The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” Richard J. Foster

RESPONSE: Lord, I trust that you are my help and shield! I surrender my worries and fears, believing that you are up to something good in my life!