Trust

Promises Pt.5

God’s Plan

Pt. 3

Thank team, departments etc.

Senior Sunday 31st

Life is unpredictable. Just when you think you’ve got

everything figured out, that all your plans are coming together, the

unexpected happens.

 The doctor gives you a bad report.

 You don’t get into your dream school, even though your

grades and test scores are high.

 You’ve been working hard and getting in shape, when you

develop a nagging injury. All your progress is stopped.

 The sale of your house falls through, again. You’re stuck

with two house payments.

 Your ex decides to play dirty in an attempt to keep you

from custody or visitation. It looks like their lies and

manipulations are going to work.

 You had retirement all planned, but it came crashing down

when your company decided they would no longer honor

the pension plan.

 Your adult child develops an addiction to pain killers.

I could go on and on. There are so many unexpected

challenges in life.

What you need is a promise - something to

stand on when life is uncertain.

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Right now , we are learning God’s promises. The past 2 weeks the promises we’ve focused on have been dealing with Gods Plan.

Each week we will either give out or have you write down at home the days promise.

If you miss a week, make sure you pick up the card with that week’s promise to

add to your Promise Box. Promise Box,

Here’s this week’s promise - one of my favorites:

Prov. 3:5 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.

Doesn’t that sound great – straight paths? In Hebrew, the

word used for straight means more than guidance. It means God

removes obstacles, and makes a smooth path that brings you to

the appointed goal.

The image that pops in my head is curling. Have you ever

seen it? The sweeper’s job is to go ahead of the rock and create

a clear path. It’s fascinating to watch.

Pic of curling

Ok - maybe not that fascinating! I’m not sure curling

qualifies as a sport - that’s another discussion for another day -

but it’s a great image of how the Lord goes before you, smoothing

the path and bringing you to the appointed goal. It’s more than

direction, it’s the power to continue on the right path. That’s an

awesome promise.

WHITE BOARD ON STAGE

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Here’s the picture – for most of you, your life path is anything

but straight.

You start here - when you are born. The goal is

Heaven.

But, your path is not straight and linear. It’s crooked,

squiggly, erratic.

 Here - an unexpected challenge knocks you off course

 Then you find your way back

 You give in to temptation

 You find a great friend

 You follow the wrong leader

 You join a healthy church.

You go here and there, back and forth, off path, on path, off

path, on path. You generally know the goal and direction. But

you lose sight of it and wander off course.

What you want is a straight path – direct, the quickest line

between two points. Always going up and ultimately ending in

Heaven.

What you end up with looks like a bad work of abstract art.

You look around and wonder, “God, why aren’t You making my

path straight? Why is the road so crooked and bumpy? Why

don’t I seem to be making steady progress towards Your goal?

Some people decide God doesn’t have a plan for them or

doesn’t care. They lose confidence or trust in the middle of twists

and turns. “If God really loved me, it wouldn’t look like this.”

The reason is

You look at the promise - straight paths and

ignore the conditions - the rest of the statement.

You’re excited

about the straight path and overlook the process that leads to a

straight path. Let’s look it again:

Prov. 3:5 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.

The dictionary definition of trust is:

 Confident expectation of something

 Reliance on the integrity, strength, and ability of a person or

thing; confidence

How many people do you 100% trust, without doubt or

question?

If they say it, you believe it – every time.

The list is short, isn’t it?

There is an erosion of trust in our society. We

trust fewer people, less often.

In some ways, that skepticism is valid.  It seems every

month, another company is busted for false claims.

 Kellogg once said eating Rice Krispies cereal improved kids’

immunity.  They couldn’t prove it.  Kellogg agreed to pay

$2.5 million to affected consumers, as well as donate $2.5

million worth of Kellogg products to charity.

 New Balance said wearing their shoes would help you burn

calories. They left out the crucial step of exercising in those

shoes. They paid a $2.3 million settlement.

 Olay cosmetics retouched a model’s face on an ad for a

product they said would reduce wrinkles. When the truth

came out, they didn’t deny the deception of the ad; they only

explained that such “post-production techniques” were

“routine practice.”

 Snapchat claimed all the pictures you took on its platform

disappeared after a certain time. Later, we found out they

stored user data. Hackers were able to build a database of

4.6 million usernames and phone numbers.

 Volkswagon cheated on their emissions tests and lied to

consumers. They recalled millions of cars, and it cost them

billions of dollars.

 Some of you remember cigarette ads that claimed smoking

was good for everything from weight loss to reducing

coughs.

I could go on and on. You don’t know who to trust, so you

don’t trust at all. I worry that the disappearance of trust in people,

companies, government, and media carries over to our God

concept.

 If people let you down, do you expect God to let you down?

 Can you have confident expectation God will come through?

 Can you totally rely on Him? Can you trust God?

When things are going good, when you are healthy, happy

and whole, trust is easy.

The true test of trust is when things don’t go your way.

Trust is built on history. Every time I do what I say, every

time I come through for you, you trust me a little more. Over time, you decide, “I trust Pastor. His word is good. He has proven

himself to me. I trust Him.” Trust is built over time with

consistency.

To keep trusting in hard times, change your focus. Instead

of focusing on your present, focus on God’s history. What

has God done for you in the past? What has God done for

others? Focusing on God’s history creates faith and trust for

your future.

“Trust in the Lord”. Trust - just five letters. Easy to say and

write, but very difficult to do.

If you’ve been hurt or betrayed, you know how hard it is to trust again. But, you can trust the Lord.

Some of you want to see proof in order to trust God - which

makes it not trust.

Trust is belief plus confidence.

Trust is believing God is working, even when you can’t see it.

S.M. Lockridge, a famous preacher wrote and preached

these words about trust.

“He IS the one who made us. It is He who made us and not

we ourselves. The heavens declare the glory of God and the

firmament shows His handiwork. No means of measure can

define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into

visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply.”

I’m telling you today”,

You can trust Him.

 No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing.

 He’s enduringly strong and He IS entirely sincere.

 He’s eternally steadfast and He’s immortally graceful.

 He’s imperially powerful and impartially merciful.

 He is God’s Son.

 He’s the sinner’s Savior.

I’m trying to tell you church, “You can trust Him.”;

He does not have to call for help and you can’t confuse Him.

He doesn’t need you and He doesn’t need me.

 He’s unparalleled.

 He’s unprecedented.

 He’s supreme.

 He’s preeminent.

 He’s the miracle of the age.

I’m trying to tell you, “You can trust Him”

He can satisfy all your needs. He supplies strength for the

weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried.

 He sympathizes and He sees.

 He guards and He guides.

 He heals the sick.

 He cleanses the leper.

 He forgives sinners.

 He discharges debtors.

 He delivers the captives.

 He defends the feeble.

 He blesses the young.

 He regards the aged.

 He rewards the diligent.

I’m trying to tell you, “You can trust Him.”

 He’s the key to knowledge.

 He’s the wellspring of wisdom.

 He’s the doorway of deliverance.

 He’s the pathway of peace.

 He’s the roadway of righteousness.

 He’s the highway of holiness.

 He’s the gateway to glory.

You can trust Him.

 He’s the master of the mighty.

 He’s the captain of the conquerors.

 He’s the head of heroes.

 He’s the leader of legislators.

 He’s the governor of the governors.

 He’s the Prince of princes.

 He’s the King of Kings.

 He’s the Lord of Lords.

You can trust Him.

 You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him.

 Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him.

 Herod couldn’t kill Him.

 Death couldn’t handle Him.

 And thank God the grave couldn’t hold Him.

There was nobody before Him, and there will be nobody

after Him. He has no predecessor and He’ll have no successor.

You can’t impeach Him, and He’s not going to resign.

You can trust Him.

There’s no God before Him and there will be none after

Him.

We can walk out of this church knowing that God is

trustworthy. You Can Trust Him.

Prov. 3:5 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.

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Now, I want to read the verse again and put the

emphasis in a slightly different place. This will help you see

the reason your path is crooked and confusing.

Prov. 3:5 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.

When we say all, what we mean is most. We hold back

what we want to keep and give only what we want to give. We

give some and pretend we’re giving all. All can’t really mean all.

That’s too extreme.

But, the promise says, “Trust with all your heart. In all your

ways acknowledge Him.”

The Message says it this way:

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you

go…

Trust with all your heart. In all your ways acknowledge Him

– listen for his voice in everything you do, everywhere you go.

I think the reason we don’t experience straight paths is

because we don’t make an all commitment. We trust God with

some of our heart. We acknowledge Him in some of our ways.

We don’t do all very well.

We’ve re-written the verse to read this way:

Prov. 3:5 I will trust in the Lord as much as I am able as long as it

doesn’t cost me too much, make life inconvenient or keep

me from fitting in with everyone around me. I will ask and

expect Him to bless my plans. I acknowledge Him as Lord,

but don’t really let that affect the details of my life. I do what

I want, when I want and how I want. I will not allow anyone,

including God to impose what I think are unrealistic

expectations on me. Then, because I’ve given Him some

trust and followed Him with part of my life, God better make

my paths straight.

Then, you are angry and surprised by the twists and turns of

life.

What does it mean to trust God with all your heart? What

does it mean to acknowledge Him in all your ways?

In our “do what I want, when I want”, consumer and convenience based

society to be all out for God is counter-culture.

We’ve got too much else to do, so many other things on our minds. We’ve

made a halfway commitment acceptable. A “some of the time,

part of the way” commitment is the norm.

One of the first places it shows is church attendance. The

trends are disturbing. People are giving less and less of their

time to God and the church.

The average church person who considers themselves a regular attender now attends about one out of every three weeks.

 If you missed 2 out of every 3 soccer practices, you’d be

kicked off the team.

 If you missed 2 out of every 3 dance classes, you wouldn’t

be in the show.

You show up, because you don’t want to miss the

reward. But, when it comes to church, it’s different.

I wonder - is attending one service a week, one out of every 3 weeks an all-in

commitment? Is that a commitment on any level?

 I’m concerned – not because there is a magic amount of

church attendance that makes you good or saved, but

because we are less committed than ever before.

 I’m worried people who are trying to be life-long

followers of Jesus are not even giving an hour a week in

pursuit of that goal.

 I’m concerned that as evil in our world increases, we are

responding by lowering our commitment level. That doesn’t

make sense, does it?

“Since the enemy is fighting the church, let’s spend less

time, let’s lower the bar, let’s drop our commitment level. Let’s

fight a more difficult battle by easing up.

Maybe if we lower our commitment level, and give God less,

He’ll respond with more help.”

I’m trying to figure out how that relates to:

Prov. 3:5 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.

We’re not the only church struggling with this. It’s a creeping

crisis in our culture. I read about one church who addressed it

head on. They sent a letter to their entire membership and

challenged them: “If you are not going to attend regularly and not

going to give, please find another church. We are going to be

committed and serve God with our whole heart. Our church may

be smaller, but it will be stronger.”

I’m not ready to send that letter. But, I am determined. We

are not going to be a passive group of half-committed, low

energy, part way, convenient Christians. I’m going to call and

push and challenge you to a higher level.

Why? Because I want to build a faith in you and in this

church that is capable of withstanding difficult times.

Wishy-washy, half-hearted, low commitment, part-time followers

won’t survive hard times. Just doing business as usual isn’t

enough.

What does it mean to trust God with all your heart? Well,

the next part of the verse answers that question –

“lean not on your own understanding.”

The Message says it this way,

“Don’t try to figure out everything on your own.”

You plot, plan, strategize and scheme to make your path

straight. But, all your planning only makes the path more crooked

and confusing. Trusting God with all your heart begins with a

belief that His plan is better than your plan.

 His plan for your finances is better than your plan

 His plan for relationships is better than your plan

 His plan for business is better than your plan

 His plan for your family is better than your plan

 His plan for the future is better than your plan

 In every area of your life, God’s plan beats your plan.

 His plan makes a straight path. Your plan is crooked and

confusing.

If you can’t buy into that, His plan being better, you’ll never

be able to trust Him with all your heart.

We struggle with trust, when things don’t seem to make

sense, but trust is not only believing that God will do it, but

also allowing Him to choose how he will do it.

“We lose trust in God because we feel like he hasn’t fulfilled

His promise or we feel like he hasn’t blessed us. The problem is

we limit God’s blessings, miracles or promises to what we think

they have to be for that situation.

We think the only way God can bless us financially is if He

completely pays off our debt.

We think the only way it’s a miracle is if God completely heals

us.

We choose how God is going to bless us. We choose the

miracle that has to take place. Unless the specific thing we

decide must happen, happens, we feel let down and lose trust in

God.

If we remove our tunnel vision on God’s blessing we might

actually realize God has been blessing us all along. No he didn’t

pay off all the debt, but He provided an extra job. Someone paid

for a meal. Just because God doesn’t do what we think His

blessing should be doesn’t mean He hasn’t and isn’t blessing us.

His will, not our will. His plan, not our plan.”

Here’s what often happens - you do things your way and

then, when your path is so crooked you can’t find your way to the

goal, you say, “Oh God, I need you. I trust you.”

That’s not really trusting God. That’s saying, “God, I’ve

messed this up so bad that I now realize my only hope is to trust

You to get me out of this.” Thank God, God’s responds to that

crisis prayer and puts you back on the straight path.

But, as soon as things are going better, you veer off that

path and go back to trusting your plan instead of His plan. Your

life looks like this – on path, off path and backtracking, back on

path, off path.

The only way to stay on the straight path is to trust Him with

all your heart and in all your ways acknowledge Him.

Listen for His voice in everything you do, everywhere you go.

I wonder, what would your life look like, what would our

church look like if we really did that? What could happen, what

would happen if you listened for His voice in your:

 Finances

 Relationships

 Conflicts with others

 Church involvement and attendance

 Your job

 Your business

 Your school

 Your marriage

 Your parenting

 Your daily schedule

What would life look like? We don’t have to wonder.

The Bible tells us. Your path would be straight. On track. On

course.

Obstacles removed. Moving toward and accomplishing

God’s objective for your life. Able to move past distractions.

Able to withstand temptation and the selfish agendas of this

world. Difference maker. World changer. Settled. Direct.

Smooth.

JALEN

Pastor, are you saying if I do this that I won’t have any

problems? That my life will be worry free?”

I can’t make that

promise. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” Trouble

will come.

Instead, the picture is more like spiritual shock absorbers.

When you trust in Him with all your heart, when you

acknowledge Him in all your ways, He will give you the

strength and power to stay on the straight path, to roll over

the bumps and obstacles of life.

On your own, they would throw you off track, back on that

confusing path. But, fully committed to Him, all the way, He helps

you stay on that straight path.

That’s how our brothers and sisters around the world who

face persecution stay strong. Their way may not be easy, but it’s

straight. They are all-in, 100% committed, trusting God because

He’s all they have.

My challenge to you is this:

Prov. 3:5 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.

That might mean something different for you than the person

next to you.

 For some of you, it’s time to trust Him with your finances.

 For some of you it’s your church involvement.

We pray and follow the Holy Spirit year with your spiritual growth in mind. If you only come

once every three weeks, you’re not going to grow.

I know –I’ve heard it – “You don’t have to go to church to be a

Christian.”

While that’s true – I’ve yet to meet the Christian

who is making a difference in isolation from other believers.

 For some of you, trusting with all is your business,

 For others of you – it’s your marriage or your dating

relationship.

 For some of you, it’s your plans, or your habits.

Prov. 3:5 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.

What is all to you? What is that area you need to commit all

of to him?

PRAYER

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HARD ENDING

We’re now turning online stream off. No Posts, no pictures,

etc.