Embracing Trust: A Journey of Faith and Healing
Summary
The sermon explores the multifaceted nature of trust in God, emphasizing its importance in the Christian faith. The speaker draws from Psalm 100, urging believers to enter God's presence with thanksgiving and praise, acknowledging Him as their creator and shepherd. The congregation is encouraged to offer themselves as living sacrifices and to be doers of the word, identifying areas of life where trust in God is lacking. Confession is highlighted as a crucial step towards healing, with the speaker urging honesty in admitting areas of distrust, such as with children, forgiveness, relationships, salvation, and provision.
The speaker shares their personal struggle with trusting God in various aspects of life, including emotions, relationships, decisions, and finances. They reference Proverbs 3:5-6, which advises trust in the Lord with all one's heart, and reassure the congregation that they are not alone in their struggles. The sermon also recounts the story of a father in Mark chapter 9, who brings his demon-tormented son to Jesus, illustrating the importance of being honest about our doubts and leaning on Jesus, even with an imperfect trust.
Trust in God is presented as pleasing to Him, with Christmas serving as a reminder of God's desire for a relationship with humanity. The speaker encourages taking steps of trust and assures that God will make paths straight, leading to freedom, healing, and a deeper understanding of His nature. The analogy of ice skating is used to describe the concept of trust, where leaning on one's own understanding or other things in life is contrasted with trusting in Jesus, the King worth trusting.
The sermon also touches on the importance of not pretending to have complete trust in Jesus but being honest about struggles. Confession is seen as a step towards healing and transformation. The speaker suggests that knowing Jesus leads to trust, and contrasts the tendency to withhold trust until someone proves themselves with Jesus' desire for us to trust Him first. They use the example of an African Impala in a zoo to illustrate how a lack of trust can limit freedom and blessings.
Finally, the speaker discusses the struggle of trusting Jesus with our sins, thoughts, and beliefs, acknowledging that temporary satisfaction can hinder surrender to Him. Trust is developed through experiencing the faithfulness and goodness of others, and the speaker encourages acting out of personal knowledge and depending on Jesus.
Key Takeaways:
- Trusting God is an act of worship that involves acknowledging Him as the creator and shepherd, which leads to a life of thanksgiving and praise. This trust is not passive but requires active participation as living sacrifices, engaging in confession, and being doers of the word. [55:50]
- Confession is a powerful tool for healing, as it involves being honest about the areas where trust in God is lacking. By confessing these struggles, individuals can experience freedom from shame and condemnation, and open themselves up to God's transformative work. [41:51]
- Doubts and struggles with trust are common among believers, but they do not negate the possibility of a trusting relationship with God. The story of the father in Mark chapter 9 demonstrates that even when trust is not wholehearted, honesty about one's doubts can lead to a deeper reliance on Jesus. [35:43]
- Taking steps of trust in God can be daunting, but it is essential for experiencing the fullness of God's plans. Trusting God with all aspects of life, including the unseen and unknown, is what pleases Him and leads to straightened paths, freedom, and healing. [50:16]
- Trust in Jesus is cultivated through personal experiences of His faithfulness and goodness. Acknowledging Jesus in all aspects of life is more than casual recognition; it is a deep knowing that leads to a life of submission, reflection, and trust, even in the face of past hurts and fears. [44:22]
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Psalm 100
2. Proverbs 3:5-6
3. Mark 9:22-24
#### Observation Questions
1. According to Psalm 100, how are believers encouraged to enter God's presence? What attitudes should they have?
2. In Proverbs 3:5-6, what are believers instructed to do with all their heart, and what should they avoid leaning on?
3. In Mark 9:22-24, what does the father of the demon-tormented son say to Jesus, and how does Jesus respond? [35:43]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. What does it mean to trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding, as stated in Proverbs 3:5-6? How might this look in daily life?
2. How does the story of the father in Mark 9:22-24 illustrate the concept of imperfect trust? What can we learn from his honesty about his doubts? [35:43]
3. The sermon mentions that trust in God is an act of worship. How does this perspective change the way we view our daily acts of trust? [55:50]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on an area of your life where you struggle to trust God fully. How can you take a step towards trusting Him more in that specific area this week? [41:51]
2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of confession for healing. Is there an area of distrust in your life that you need to confess to God or a trusted friend? How might this act of confession lead to healing? [40:44]
3. Think about a time when you leaned on your own understanding instead of trusting God. What was the outcome, and how might things have been different if you had trusted Him fully? [34:31]
4. The analogy of ice skating was used to describe trust. What are some "walls" or "crutches" you lean on instead of fully trusting Jesus? How can you begin to let go of these and trust Him more? [38:50]
5. The sermon mentioned that knowing Jesus leads to trust. What steps can you take to deepen your relationship with Jesus and grow in your trust of Him? [45:37]
6. How can you actively acknowledge Jesus in all aspects of your life, as described in Proverbs 3:6? What practical changes can you make to ensure you are acting out of your knowledge of Him? [46:07]
7. The story of the African Impala was used to illustrate how a lack of trust can limit freedom. What "three-foot walls" are keeping you from experiencing the fullness of God's freedom and blessings? How can you overcome these barriers? [47:49]
Devotional
Day 1: Worship Through Trust
Trust in God is an act of worship that requires active engagement and acknowledgment of His sovereignty. By offering lives as living sacrifices and engaging in confession, believers demonstrate their trust in the Creator and Shepherd, leading to a life filled with thanksgiving and praise. Trust is not merely a feeling; it is a deliberate choice to rely on God's guidance and provision in every aspect of life. [55:50]
Psalm 95:6-7 - "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care."
Reflection: In what ways can you actively demonstrate your trust in God as an act of worship today?
Day 2: Healing Through Confession
Confession is a gateway to healing, allowing individuals to confront and release the burdens of distrust. It is an honest admission before God of the areas where faith falters, which invites His transformative power into one's life. This vulnerability before God is a crucial step in moving from shame and condemnation to freedom and wholeness. [41:51]
James 5:16 - "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
Reflection: What areas of distrust can you confess to God today to invite His healing into your life?
Day 3: Embracing Imperfect Trust
Doubts and struggles with trust do not disqualify believers from a relationship with God. Like the father in Mark 9, honest admission of doubts can be the catalyst for a deeper dependence on Jesus. It is in the recognition of our imperfect trust that we can truly lean on God's strength and grace. [35:43]
Mark 9:24 - "Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, 'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'"
Reflection: Can you identify a doubt you have about God and ask Him to help you overcome it, even as you continue to trust Him?
Day 4: The Courage to Trust
Taking steps of trust in God can be intimidating, but it is through these acts of faith that believers experience the fullness of God's plans. Trusting in God with all aspects of life, especially the unseen and unknown, pleases Him and leads to a life of freedom, healing, and divine guidance. [50:16]
Psalm 37:5 - "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this."
Reflection: What step of trust can you take today to align your life more closely with God's will?
Day 5: Knowing Leads to Trusting
Trust in Jesus grows through personal experiences of His faithfulness and goodness. It is through knowing Jesus intimately that believers can surrender their lives, reflect on His character, and trust Him with their past hurts and fears. This deep knowing transcends mere acknowledgment and becomes a foundation for a life of faith. [44:22]
Philippians 3:8-10 - "What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
Reflection: How can you deepen your personal knowledge of Jesus today, and how might this strengthen your trust in Him?
Quotes
"Trust isn't doubt free. It is all or nothing, but it's big enough for our doubts." [34:31] (Download)
"I want to decide to trust Jesus with everything I have and yet the daily experience is that that is a struggle." [35:04] (Download)
"When we actually confess it to somebody else, it actually loses its power over us, it loses its hold on us, so we can actually when we say it to somebody else we don't have to feel all the shame and the condemnation about it." [58:44] (Download)
"Taking steps is scary, but it's worth it. It's really good, guys. You actually could leave here feeling more free than how you came in." [59:14] (Download)
"I do believe help me help me trust you more there's conf there's Beauty there's healing and just coming real and admitting it and saying I don't I don't trust you fully in this area but but I want to I want to trust you with all my heart and right now Jesus there's parts of me that aren't that don't that can be a really scary thing especially if you're leaving one thing that's kind of known for something that's a little bit more unknown." [43:13] (Download)
"If you don't trust Jesus, do you really know him? There's more available if there's an area where you're not trusting; let him prove himself to be trustworthy." [47:14] (Download)
"God wants us to trust him so that he can prove himself. Faith comes first; you can't please God without faith, without trusting him. That's what's pleasing." [49:41] (Download)
"He's a good King, he's worthy of our worship and our trust. Just want to pray that over us, Jesus we acknowledge that you are good, that you are faithful, that you are true." [55:50] (Download)
"The invitation of Jesus saying I'm the king, the king has come and I'm a King worth trusting. I want you to trust me with everything you are, everything you got, and stop leaning on all these other things that are going to fail you." [39:28] (Download)
"Christmas is God saying I want to know you, I want to be in relationship with you. I love you more than anything, I'm going to send Jesus. It's going to hurt, but there's nothing that I won't do, there's nothing that I won't give up to know you." [50:16] (Download)
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