Sermon Tone Analysis

Trusting God When It Doesn't Make Sense - Part 1

Are we living in days where it is harder to trust God than ever before?

Is this even a legitimate question?

With the advancement in technology we have temptations at our finger tips.

We have news of tragedy, crime, war, and disease that gets to us at the speed of light.

We have a name for more diseases than any other generation.

We have good people and evil people within an arms reach of us all around every day.

Our economy is more robust than many cultures in history but it is also more vulnerable than ever.

It seems as if we have a flood of cultural conflicts and ideologies at war against our families and children more than ever before.

So, is it harder to trust God today than ever before?

The Hebrew word for “trust” is בָּטַח betah meaning to confide in or to set one’s hope and confidence upon.

In the Hebrew, it is as if one lays on his back flat on the ground thus removing all fear of falling.

It is to place all of your cares on that which is absolute and unwavering.

It is to be secure and fearing nothing.

This was Messianic prophecy from the Psalmist.

Yet, it speaks of the Christ who facing the cross trusted in the faithfulness of the Father to deliver Him the way a newborn infant trust the arms of the mother to tenderly hold them and her breasts to provide life sustaining nourishment.

The word betah also means “to throw in the face” or to seek after with great passion (to humbly get in the face of God).

In other words, you cling closely to that which you trust.

If you are in open water and fearful of drowning and something came by that was floating you would cling to it.

In the same manner we cling to lots of things like our money, our jobs, our guns and so many other things.

But the Psalmist tells us to cling to, to trust in, or seek God more than anything.

It is the strength of the Lord we are to seek and cling to continually.

The wondrous works of God, both in Scripture and in our own lives, become like the floating lifesaver ring in the middle of an open ocean.

Speaking of floating life savers, consider Noah.

It was not the ark that saved Noah, it was God.

It was God who reached out to him.

It was God who considered Him at all.

It was God who forewarned Noah of impending judgment and presented to Noah a way of escape.

It was God who taught Noah what a boat was, what to build it of and how to build it.

It was God who revealed Himself to Noah giving Noah hope and someone to put his trust in.

When it came down to it, even after building the ark, Noah still had to put his trust in God.

Noah had to “acknowledge God”.

If you saw me in Wal-Mart and said something to me and I walked away purposefully not acknowledging you, you would be greatly offended.

Proverbs 3:6 says to “acknowledge God in all your ways.”

“Acknowledge” is יָדַע da’e meaning to become acquainted with, to hear, to seek, to turn to and look at.

Proverbs says to acknowledge Him in “all your דֶּרֶךְ derekh (ways) or how one “walks” (halak הָלַךְ- manner of living).

How do we do that?

Proverbs 3:7 tells us:

First, relinquish your own understanding and wisdom or trying to reason or figure out your “soul-utions” in your life to your satisfaction and trust in God’s knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.

Do not trust in your perspective, seek His and cling to it.

Second, fear the Lord.

“Fear” יָרֵא yera; יָרֵא אֶת־אֱלֹהִים yera ‘et Elohim, to fear God.

To reverence Him, as the avenger of all wrong doing; hence to be godly or to live upright before Him who is holy; to flee all evil, propensity toward or perception of that which is evil or displeasing to God.

Finally, turn from evil (yetza ha ra’).

Not to just flee that which is wicked activity but to separate yourself from the inward inclination toward that which is iniquity or the desire to break the Law of God within your heart, thoughts, and words.

It was not the ark that saved Noah, it was God who looked and considered Noah as “righteous” (צַדִּיק tsaddiq or just, maintaining that which is right and loving justice; holding firm to a just cause; or just being obedient).

God found Noah righteous compared to what?

For some reason, God looked upon Noah and Noah found favor (חֵן hen, grace and good-will).

Why did Noah find God’s favor?

The answer is found in God’s definition of “righteous”.

Ultimately, God found Noah obedient or clinging to and trusting in an ancient way and knowledge of God.

We see it in Genesis 6:22.

You will not find where Noah argued with God.

He never questioned God.

He never asked what a boat or rain was.

In fact, we don’t even see where Noah is shocked to hear from God as if it were a voice he had never heard before.

He never had to ask who this God was.

He just trusted and obeyed.

Note Chapter 7:11.

Rashi states that the rains started gentle calling the people to repentance.

But they refused so the flood waters burst forth.

Had they repented, the gentle rain would have been a blessing instead of turning into judgment.

The days we live in are no different than the days of Noah.

Noah had no special kind of ability to trust God any different than yours.

He just seized the opportunities to grow in that trust.

In fact, Noah did so for 600 years.

For 600 years his halak or manner of life was continually before the Lord.

Like the flood waters, the days of trusting God, even when it does not make sense, are ever increasing.

Like flood waters, temptations and fears will rise, but will your faith and trust stay afloat?

Will you enter in and let God do as He did Noah?

“The Lord shut him in.”

אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה בַּֽעֲדֽוֹ (Elohim va-yisgor Adonai ba’ado).

In other words, God kept Noah secure.

Trusting God When It Doesn’t Make Sense - Part 2

A.W. Tozer says that most Christians today treat their spiritual life like a playground instead of a battlefield.

These words were never more true than in our time.

Yet, we are living in times where demonic forces are outright blatant and in the open and mankind treat them as another form of mere entertainment and choices of personal pleasure.

The spirit of apostasy is rampant in the church.

Sadly, professing Christians are even deceived and drawn into compromise and moral confusion not even realizing they have been taken captive.

This was the state of Israel in the days of Gideon.

As a result of Israel’s disobedience to the ways of the Lord, they were taken captive by the Midianites and Amalekites.

The enemy would devour their crops and destroy their flocks.

Then Israel cried out to the Lord.

So God sent a prophet and reminded them of why they were in such a mess.

Need God send a prophet to tell us why our nation is in such a mess?

Would anyone even listen or would they rebuke him in the name of the Lord?

Nonetheless, in God’s great mercy, He sends the Angel of the Lord to a young man named Gideon.

Now Gideon would tend to the grain in hiding from the Midianites.

In his story we find that even though he is not a very confident fellow, God calls him a man of valor and calls him to deliver Israel.

Gideon is so unsure in his faith that he puts forth to the Angel of the Lord a series of attestations.

Gideon is then put to a test and commanded to tear down the idols of the Midianites that actually belonged to his father, a descendent of the tribe of Manasseh.

Notice that God has Gideon tear down the false gods and build an altar to Adonai in their place and worship Adonai in the land that had been perverted.

Not only is this a redeeming act, it is a prophetic act for Israel to be reminded of who their God is and for the Midianites to be reminded of who the God of Israel is as well.

There was a distinct difference between the worship of the pagans and the worship of the people of God.

But Gideon’s faith is so weak that he obeys God but not in the open.

Followers of Christ, would you say that you have visible faith?

Would those around you say that you openly and blatantly trust your God?

I didn’t ask if you were blatantly religious and spooky spiritual.

I am asking do you have a Rambo kind of trust in God or more of a 007 Secret uncover Agent kind of trust?

In Judges 7, Gideon has been labeled as “Yerubbaal” יְרֻבַּעַל which means “the one with whom Baal contends.”