TRUST

-Introduction

-With the Christmas holiday just over two weeks away, a considerable amount of

 attention will probably be given to Isaiah 7:14.

            -Of course, this is a prophecy ultimately fulfilled through Jesus – Matt. 1:21-23.

-However, this prophecy is given in what I find to be an interesting context.

-Isaiah 7:  -vs 1 – Syria and Israel joined forces against Judah; vs 2-9 – The people of Judah

 were troubled.  God sends Isaiah to King Ahaz with a message of comfort and assurance;

 vs 10-11 – King Ahaz is instructed to request a sign; vs 12 – King Ahaz refuses; vs 13-14 –

 God gives Him a sign anyway.

-Why Did King Ahaz Refuse A Sign?

-Isaiah 7:13

-On the surface, it seems that King Ahaz is displaying humility and reverence toward

 God.  It seems that he is saying, “Who am I to request a sign of the God of heaven?”

 However, this simply wasn’t the case.

-2 Kings 16:7-9

            -King Ahaz didn’t seek a sign from God due to the fact that he was making plans

             of his own.  He was seeking an alliance with the Assyrians and was utilizing the

             treasures of the temple to secure that alliance.

            -Unfortunately, King Ahaz wasn’t demonstrating humility or reverence.  Instead,

             he was demonstrating a lack of trust in God.

-Do we trust God?  I mean, do we really trust God? 

-We need to continue to build our trust in Him.  We don’t want to simply give the

 appearance of trusting God – a theoretical trust.  Instead, we want to have a trust that is

 actively in place in our lives – a practical trust.

-Rely On God

-2 Chronicles 16 contains another example of a king wrongfully seeking an earthly

 alliance.

            -Judah’s king Asa felt threatened by Baasha, king of Israel.  Instead of depending

             upon God, King Asa sought an alliance with the Syrians.  Like Ahaz, he too utilized

             the treasures of the temple as a bribe for the alliance.

            -2 Chron. 16:7-9 (2 Chron. 14:2-4, 8-11)

-We must rely upon God. 

-He is not sending us into physical battles.  Yet, consider 1 Cor. 10:11.  We are a part of

 a spiritual battle and, to obtain victory, we must rely upon God.

-We need to be like Joshua and Caleb in Num. 14:6-9

            -Rom. 8:28, 31

-Therefore, with trust in God and reliance upon Him we are to truly walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7).

-I would imagine that we would all say, “Sure, I trust God.”  Yet, is that a theoretical

 trust (an appearance) or is it a practical trust (one put in action)?

-If we truly trust God, aren’t we going to seek His guidance?  How/where do we find

 that guidance? – through His word

            -I don’t expect God to “micro-manage” my life.  He is not going to control me.

             Instead, He is going to allow me to make my own decisions.  However, He has

             provided me with all that I need to make good, responsible decisions (2 Pet 1:3).

-So, if I truly trust Him, won’t I seek His guidance through a diligent and careful

 examination of His word?

            -Do we say that we trust God but fail to spend the time necessary to seek His guidance?

            -Are we too busy with everything else?

-So, by looking at our lives, our priorities, our time expenditures, etc., are we revealing that

 we do indeed trust God or are we revealing that our trust is, in reality, placed elsewhere?

-Striving to Understand God

-We need to spend more time thinking about God.  We need to meditate upon His being,

 His attributes, His power, His goodness, His love, His grace, His promises, etc., etc., etc.

-We simply cannot grasp the fullness of God.  However, we can continue to grow in awe of

 Him.

-Here’s a suggestion:  Go through the book of Psalms and notice the phrase “thou art” (KJV) –

 occurs 52 times.  An examination of those phrases will clearly demonstrate that the psalmists

 were in awe of the God of heaven.  With that deep abiding awe, they trusted God.

            -By the way, the word “trust” occurs 50 times in the book of Psalms.

-Serve Him

-When we learn to truly trust God & seek His guidance – when we meditate upon God Himself

 and grow in awe of Him, I believe there is a logical step that then follows: service to Him.

-Rom 12:1 – reasonable service – Serving God is reasonable.  It makes good sense.

-Matt. 6:24 – What is the logical conclusion? – serve God!

-Heb. 12:28 – Jesus came to this earth and established a kingdom – the church.  What an

                       opportunity and privilege to be a part of it!  What are we to do in it? – serve.

-We need to “do” as God has said.  By the way, the word “do” occurs 69 times in the

 book of Psalms – many of them have to do with man’s response to God (i.e. Ps 40:8).

-Summary and Invitation

-Isaiah 7:14 pointed forward to the birth of Jesus.  Yet, we know that other prophecies (i.e.

 Isaiah 53) pointed forward to His death.  Jesus came to this earth and died upon the cross

 so that we could have the forgiveness of sins and hope of everlasting life.

-As we work on truly relying upon God, understanding Him better and serving Him actively,

 let’s keep our minds on the cross of Christ.

-When you take the “R” from rely, “U” from understand, “S” from serve and then bookend

 those letters with the shape of the cross “T”, you have the word “Trust.”

-Do you trust God enough to submit obediently to Him:  Obey the Gospel – Believe in Jesus

 (John 3:16, 8:24), confess your faith (Matt. 10:32, Rom 10:9-10), repent of sin (Luke 13:3,5;

 Acts 17:30), be baptized for forgiveness of sins (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38), Walk in Newness

 of Life (Rom 6:4, Eph 4:22-24).

-If you’ve obeyed the Gospel but haven’t been faithful, trust God enough to return to Him.

 Acknowledge your shortcomings, repent of them and seek forgiveness through prayer

 (1 John 1:7-9, Acts 8:22-24).