Trust in the Lord

Galatians 3: 6 Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

Review

• Great Faith is demonstrated by…believing
• “If you believe you will leave”

o   “If you believe you will wait on the Lord”

• “If you believe you will trust the Lord to take care of you”
• “If you believe you will See”
• “If you believe you will trust the Lord to fight for you”

Gen 12:2

• Leave this country: The place of familiarity: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you People: The place where he could depend on people for help: I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing*
• Father’s household: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Today

Believing that he will do it.

Hebrews 11: 1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11: 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Romans 4: 18 Against all (human) hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Psalm 37: 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:

Trusting in the Lord is “Only for the weak, not for the strong.”

• Trust in the Lord and do good (that’s what you do while you are waiting on the Lord)
• Psalm 25: 4 Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
• Show me your ways Teach me your paths Guide me in your truth For you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.*
• Abiding in Christ is conscious as well as unconscious.

Conscious and Unconscious

When Hudson Taylor was staying in the home of a friend on one occasion, his host asked him, “But are you always conscious of abiding in Christ?”

Mr. Taylor replied “While sleeping last night,”  “did I cease to stay in your home because I was aware of the fact?”

• Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture
• A Monks mentality – separation of heart, circumcision of heart not flesh.
• I have seen the tendency of God’s people to hide, to pull away from the world and in some ways no longer live in it. This is can be a sign that we do not trust the lord to protect us here. Ps 23:5 you prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

 I Am the Door

A tourist in Syria observed with interest how a shepherd drove all his sheep into a sheepfold one evening. The fold was an enclosing wall with only one opening. On that opening he noticed that there was neither door nor gate. He remarked to the shepherd: “Can’t wild beasts get in there?” “No,” answered the shepherd, “because I am the door. When the sheep are in for the night, I lie down across that doorway. No sheep can get out except over my body, and no wolf or thief can get in except over me.”

• Delight yourself in the Lord - he will give you the desires of your heart
• Make yourself happy in the Lord
• How?
• Remind yourself who he is, what he has promised, what he has done…Faith is not believing that God can, but that God will!

• Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this

Five Words Defined

Surrender isn’t giving up something you don’t want … It’s giving up what you do want.

Victory isn’t walking across the goal line … It’s struggling through opposition to get there.

Trust isn’t going just where the lights are … It’s following through the dark valleys.

Love isn’t giving when others are giving … It’s giving when others are not giving.

Faith isn’t overflowing to others … It’s emptying itself to others.