Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: EG
Program Code: EG002908
|
00:08 It's been 2,000 years since the glorious light of the cross
00:12 illuminated a world veiled in darkness and confusion 00:15 about the character of God... 00:17 And still today, the greatest need of mankind 00:19 is a revelation of God's love as revealed in the life of Christ. 00:24 Amazing Facts presents "The Everlasting Gospel" 00:27 with Pastor Doug Batchelor coming to you each week from 00:30 Sacramento Central Church in sunny California. 00:33 Discover hidden treasures in God's Word today. 00:38 Over the last few weeks, I never really announced 00:42 anything official, but I've been doing a series 00:45 that focuses on faith and trust. 00:49 I spoke a little bit about "God said it, I believe it," 00:52 and trusting God or having faith through the storm, 00:56 and today will really be the 3rd part in this. 01:00 I expect the last part - "Adjusting Your Trusting" 01:05 would be the title for the message today. 01:08 "Adjusting Your Trusting" 01:10 Part of the reason I felt that this was a real need is 01:14 in light of all that's happening in the world, 01:17 all the transition in the country with governments, 01:20 with finances - that has been affecting so many different 01:24 lives, that I could see that people were trembling 01:29 a little bit in their faith and I want to ask you a question... 01:35 Does God ever worry? 01:40 God never worries! Does He? 01:42 Is He ever anxious? 01:45 Is He ever frightened? 01:47 The goal for a Christian is to be Christ-like. 01:52 He wants us to have that kind of faith. 01:56 You know, all of you are carrying around a letter 02:02 that talks about the trust of God - most of you. 02:06 It might be stamped on a coin, 02:08 it might be printed on a bill. 02:11 But on all American currency, there are 4 words... 02:15 You know about that... "In God we trust" 02:20 I remember one time, I was preaching early 02:25 in evangelism and I said, "You know, our founding 02:27 fathers believed that we should have faith in God, 02:29 and that's why they put it on our currency. 02:31 I later found out it wasn't on the original currency. 02:34 This actually didn't happen until the Civil War. 02:37 And during the time of the Civil War, 02:39 a lot of people were apprehensive about, you know, 02:42 would this country survive, and they wrote a number of 02:44 letters to the treasury... 02:46 Don't forget, the South started printing their own money, 02:49 and they wrote a number of letters to the treasury 02:51 stating - "Maybe there should be something in our national 02:54 motto about dependence on God, or faith in God, or trust in God 02:58 And they assembled these letters and eventually, 03:00 they said, through an act of congress, 03:02 "We really ought to stamp it on our currency," 03:06 and they began with - who know what currency first 03:08 received the words, "In God we trust?" 03:10 It doesn't exist anymore! 03:16 It was a 2 cent piece. 03:19 I didn't even know we had a 2 cent piece. 03:23 And, it was 1864- I don't know whose head was on it, 03:27 but then gradually then began to add it - it took years, 03:32 to other pieces of currency; then it was on the silver 03:36 certificates back in the days of Roosevelt. 03:38 Finally, all of the currency had the motto - "In God we Trust" 03:41 by 1957- that's when I was born, 03:45 and ever since then, it's been there. 03:47 Now it's amazing to me it's still there - 03:50 because when you consider that we got courts today 03:52 that are saying take "under God" out of the pledge, 03:56 and it seems like there's an attack on everything that 04:00 has any religious overtone, that I'm surprised 04:04 there hasn't been some undercurrent or some 04:09 liberal group that's been campaigning to have 04:11 "In God we trust" removed from all of our currency. 04:14 I think it's interesting that it's still there. 04:17 Of course that depends on what god they're talking about... 04:20 Some people think that the god we're trusting in is money! 04:25 And with that interpretation, 04:26 a lot of people have no problem with it. 04:29 So what is the god that they trust in? 04:32 You know, today, there is a trend in government... 04:35 As-a-matter-of-fact, I'd like to read a quote from 04:36 Stacy Woods - "The trend of government is to protect us 04:40 with laws from the cradle to the grave - providing all kinds 04:43 of insurances - health, old age, education, unemployment, 04:47 fire, earthquake, hurricane. 04:49 These safeguards can very easily become a serious 04:52 hindrance to our complete trust in God. 04:55 Undoubtedly, if our debts are paid and our refrigerator 04:59 is full, if we have money in the bank, 05:01 we have a tendency to feel secure in ourselves 05:04 and sense our need of God less... 05:07 Herein lies the danger - I like the last part here... 05:11 Our greatest need is to feel 05:14 that our greatest need is God every hour." 05:19 Our greatest need is to never cease to feel 05:23 that God is our greatest need. 05:26 And there's a danger that we could fall into the trap 05:30 ... Jesus talks about the rich man - are more susceptible, 05:34 where we feel sufficient, rich and increased with goods, 05:38 and don't recognize how much we need God every moment. 05:43 If every earthly need is supplied, 05:46 you could get to the place where you cease 05:47 to feel your trust in God. 05:49 God warned the children of Israel - this was a danger. 05:53 Moses told them, before they entered the Promised Land 05:56 ... keep in mind, they were conquering cities 06:00 of the Canaanites that already were there, 06:03 they had their cities; they had their houses built; 06:05 they had their wells and their farms and their vineyards, 06:08 and they were going to basically chase them out, 06:11 take possession of what they had... 06:12 And Moses said, "Be careful, beware, when you enter in to 06:20 houses and enjoy them, that you did not build, 06:24 and you eat from vineyards and farms that you 06:26 did not plant, and you drink from wells 06:29 that you did not dig, that you become self-satisfied, 06:35 and you forget the Lord." 06:36 Meaning - You don't recognize your dependence on God 06:39 on a daily basis. 06:41 Going through the wilderness, they realized how much 06:43 they had to trust God. 06:45 He provided their bread every morning! 06:48 You know, when you and I say "Give us this day 06:50 our daily bread," it's sort of a prayer that 06:52 we utter by rote. 06:54 When the children of Israel were going out 06:56 in the wilderness every day - because they knew 06:59 there was none on Sabbath, but 6 days a week, 07:02 they would see a miracle of bread! 07:04 They didn't have a pantry in the wilderness where all those 07:07 loaves were stacked on a shelf. 07:09 They had to trust God every day to provide their bread. 07:14 It really shouldn't be different for you and me. 07:18 We ought to have that same sense of dependence 07:20 every day - because you realize 07:21 you could lose it all in one day. 07:24 Whatever you have that's giving you security, 07:26 you feel secure about your health? 07:28 Because you have a good health medical plan? 07:31 Or maybe you feel secure about your health because 07:33 the doctor gave you a good report? 07:35 How long do you think that's going to last? 07:37 Live long enough and it won't last! 07:40 Or maybe you feel secure because, you know, 07:44 you house is insured and it's paid for! 07:48 No payments - praise the Lord! 07:52 You could lose it all in one day! 07:55 You might feel secure because your family is 07:57 all employed and healthy and you're all getting along. 08:00 Job is there in the Bible to remind us that 08:04 every earthly support can be withdrawn in one day. 08:09 Will you still trust God then? 08:11 Will you say with Job - "Though He slay me, 08:15 yet will I trust Him." 08:17 Or when all the earthly props are gone, 08:19 will you lose your trust? 08:22 Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, 08:28 lean not to your own understanding... 08:32 When things go well, when they don't - trust in the Lord. 08:36 In all your ways, acknowledge Him... 08:40 It doesn't mean in just what you think, 08:43 it means the direction of your life - acknowledge God 08:46 with the way you live... 08:48 And the promise is - He will direct your path. 08:51 That doesn't promise the paths will never have thorns 08:53 or ditches or rocks or will never be slippery 08:56 or any problems, but you trust in the Lord with all your heart 08:59 and He'll direct your path. 09:04 I was playing racquetball with a friend, 09:06 oh, it's actually been a couple of years ago, 09:09 and he had a new pair of tennis shoes. 09:12 I said, "Those are nice!" 09:14 He said, "Yeah, I bought them on the internet." 09:16 And I thought, "You're kidding." 09:18 I said, "You ordered shoes on the internet?" 09:20 "Yeah, I got a great deal!" 09:22 I said, "I could never buy shoes on the internet." 09:26 Maybe some of you have, but for me, 09:29 before I buy shoes, I gotta put my foot in them 09:33 and walk around a little bit. 09:36 Anyone else like that? 09:39 I'm going to want to rest my weight down on them. 09:43 I'm going to want to feel, because you get the wrong 09:46 pair of shoes - everyone's feet are a little bit weird, right? 09:50 There are no 2 feet in here that are the same. 09:54 And it's amazing to me that shoe companies are able 09:56 to find shoes that fit all of our unusual feet. 09:59 I got flat feet - I mean, it's like a duck! 10:04 And so I'm not going to buy my shoes on an internet. 10:08 I want to feel them and, you know, 10:13 sometimes that's the way it is in walking with God. 10:16 You gotta get your feet in it and experience what it means 10:21 to trust Him. 10:22 For a lot of us, we're trying to download our trust in God. 10:27 It's all cerebral - you're not really putting your feet in it, 10:31 and walking around and experiencing it. 10:34 Sometimes the only way that happens is you go through trials 10:38 You feel some want or depravation and then you 10:41 know what it means to trust in God. 10:43 The word "trust" is defined by Webster's: 10:57 That's a simple definition for "trust." 11:00 Now you've probably heard this before... 11:02 It's an Amazing Fact that has circulated around... 11:05 It deals with the central verse in the Bible... 11:11 Who knows what the shortest verse is in the Bible? 11:16 I'm sorry - shortest chapter. 11:19 You're right, "Jesus wept" is the shortness verse in English. 11:23 The shortness verse in the original language is 11:25 "Rejoice evermore." Did you know that? 11:29 It translates differently. 11:30 The shortness chapter in the Bible - Psalm 117 11:35 Who knows the longest chapter in the Bible? 11:38 Psalm 119- I heard someone that memorized all that... 11:44 What's between Psalm 117 and Psalm 119? 11:49 Am I going too fast for ya? ... Psalm 118 11:55 There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118. 12:00 There are 594 chapters after Psalm 118. 12:06 What is the central verse in the Bible? 12:08 It's found in Psalm 118:8 and here's what it is. 12:19 Now that verse is an interesting verse for the central verse 12:23 in the Bible because the verse forms a cross. 12:26 It makes a contrast between "better to trust this way, 12:31 than to trust this way" which is really 12:34 the 2 great principles of the Bible; 12:35 "Love the Lord with all your heart - 12:37 Love your neighbor - I look like the pope, don't I? 12:40 "Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor" 12:44 It's talking about the vertical love relationship, 12:46 and a horizontal love relationship, 12:49 and right in the middle of the Bible, you've got that 12:51 intersection that says, "Don't trust in man, trust in God" 12:57 That doesn't mean there's nobody you can trust, 13:00 but there's a lot of warning in the Bible about 13:02 putting your trust in princes, don't do it. 13:05 "The breath goes forth and he returns to the dust, 13:07 in that very day, his thoughts perish." 13:10 And right now, what all the governments are doing - 13:13 ...here in California with our budget fiasco, 13:15 and with the nation at large and we're all kind of 13:18 looking to the government to save us, aren't we? 13:22 The Bible warns us about that kind of trust. 13:24 It says, "Don't think that that's going to be your 13:26 solution - this is the only trust that is going to be 13:29 your solution. 13:30 Is your life centered in that central verse - 13:33 of trusting God with all of your heart. 13:36 You know, I thought it was interesting... 13:37 You've heard of "John Huss," the great reformer... 13:40 He was going to be tried for his teachings. 13:44 So the king of Bohemia and the king of Italy 13:47 gave him a guarantee of safety if he would come to the trial, 13:51 he'd be escorted to the trial, escorted home, 13:54 nothing would befall him - 13:56 They called it a "safe conduct." They lied... 13:59 They arrested him, burned him at the stake. 14:04 Maybe you've heard about another martyr, 14:06 "Thomas Wentworth" 14:08 He carried a document signed by King Charles I 14:11 and here's what it said... 14:12 "Upon the word of a king, you will not suffer 14:16 in life, honor or fortune if you come to this trial." 14:22 Shortly afterward, his death warrant was 14:25 signed by the same monarch. 14:26 The last words of Thomas Wentworth were, 14:30 "Put not your trust in princes." 14:34 Gotta be careful about thinking 14:36 that "we're going to be rescued by the government." 14:38 Oh it might help and I'm not trying to take a 14:42 political position here on this stimulus package 14:44 and what's going to go - I don't know, 14:45 I'm not an economist. 14:47 I'm just telling you, I hope that's not where your trust is. 14:52 Things are going to go up and down... 14:55 A lot of folks are writing me letters saying, "Pastor Doug, 14:57 Is this economic crisis the end of the world?" 15:02 My answer is - No. 15:05 The way I read my Bible, Jesus said, 15:08 "As it was in the days of Lot" 15:10 seems like the economy was booming. 15:12 As it was in the days of Noah, Jesus specifically says, 15:15 "They were building, eating, drinking, marrying - 15:20 life was going on as normal. 15:22 "In such a day as you think not, the son of man comes," 15:25 that's was Jesus said. 15:27 So, it's going to be when people are saying, 15:30 "Peace, peace, then sudden destruction comes." 15:35 That's when we especially need to be alert. 15:38 We gotta trust God - that He's going to do things 15:42 when He's ready. 15:43 Trust the timing of God, not only in the scope of 15:47 prophecy in the world, but you need to trust 15:49 His timing in your life. 15:51 Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He has made everything beautiful 15:57 in His time." 15:59 There's a time for every purpose under heaven. 16:01 We need to trust God's timing in our life. 16:03 Sometimes we wonder why we're going through 16:06 certain crises or there's a delay in our life, 16:10 or maybe we haven't found that mate that we're looking for, 16:13 or that job that we're looking for and we wonder why God 16:15 has us in a holding pattern. 16:18 You "Trust the Lord with all your heart, 16:20 lean not to your own understanding," 16:21 and part of that means trusting His timing. 16:23 Do what lies closest at hand with all of your might. 16:27 Be faithful in the work that God has put right in front of you, 16:32 and if you can't think of anything right in front of you, 16:34 then volunteer, we'll provide something 16:36 for you at "Amazing Facts." 16:38 But do something and pray that God will 16:41 tell you what He wants you to do with His timing. 16:44 Trust His timing. 16:46 I heard about a town that was in Denver, Pennsylvania... 16:50 They had this big hat factory there that thousands of people, 16:53 I guess, were employed and, for many years, it was 16:57 there for generations. 16:58 Everybody within 5 miles of this hat factory 17:02 ran their lives based on the siren that they would hear 17:04 come from the factory. 17:07 The siren would first sound 5:30 in the morning; 17:09 people would typically wake up, there would be another siren 17:11 when work started; there would be another siren 17:14 during lunchtime, during closing time, and finally 17:17 after generations of this watchman, the security guy 17:23 pulling the siren, they retired him and they put in a more 17:27 sophisticated system to announce what the different times were, 17:30 and people in the community no longer could hear 17:33 the siren going off and it kind of threw everybody out! 17:36 Someone asked the old watchman one day... 17:38 They said, "Exactly what did you use before you knew 17:42 to pull the siren?" 17:45 And he pulled a Mickey Mouse watch out of his pocket. 17:49 Said - "I used this!" What? 17:53 The whole town, for years, was being guided, 17:57 the schedule of everybody within 5 miles of this factory 18:00 was being guided by a Mickey Mouse watch! 18:04 You can't trust the timing of the world. 18:07 You need to trust the timing of God. 18:10 Trust Him with your burdens. 18:15 I remember hearing a story, many years ago, 18:18 they would have these county fairs, 18:20 and sometimes part of the county fair, when aviation was still 18:23 young, they would offer people plane rides. 18:27 You've probably heard about the barnstormers. 18:29 Those were the guys that used to do the tricks, 18:31 and they'd fly their plane through a barn, 18:34 the opened doors of a barn! 18:36 You'd want to make sure both sides of the barn were open! 18:40 And, sometimes they'd just take people up and fly them 18:44 around and it turned out that grandma had her 75th birthday 18:48 during the county fair and the family all got her there 18:51 and they said, "Grandma, you gotta go for a plane ride." 18:54 "You need to see the town where you've lived all your life 18:57 from the air." 18:58 And she was real apprehensive about getting in one of these 19:01 strange-fangled inventions and they persuaded her, 19:05 and grandma climbed in... she was a little rotund, 19:08 so it took some work and they pried her into the seat 19:10 behind the pilot and he took her around, buzzed her, 19:13 and he showed her the place where she lived and the school 19:15 she used to attend and where the farm was, 19:17 and pretty soon they landed and all the family 19:19 gathered around and said, "Grandma, how did you enjoy it?" 19:22 "Were you scared?" 19:23 She said, "No, I wasn't scared. I want you to know, 19:26 I didn't put my full weight down." 19:32 Well she did whether she liked it or not, 19:34 but she never really felt like she did. 19:36 And the question is... 19:38 Can you put your full weight down on God's promises? 19:43 Do you trust Him completely? 19:46 Like the story of the tourist there - exploring too close 19:53 to the edge of the Grand Cannon and he slipped and began to 19:56 tumble over the side and he went down a little ways 19:59 and just managed to get a hold of piece of sagebrush 20:02 sticking out of the cliff wall and he's hanging there 20:06 and he shouts up above the cliff and he says, 20:09 "Is there anybody up there?" 20:11 "Help, help - is there anyone up there?" 20:12 And pretty soon there came this resonating voice, 20:14 "I am here my child." "Help me!" 20:18 "It is I who can help you, do you trust me?" 20:20 "I trust you." "Do you trust me completely?" 20:22 "I trust you!" 20:24 "Let go of the bush." There was a long pause. 20:28 Pretty soon, he said, "Is there anyone else up there?" 20:34 That's how we are sometimes. 20:36 "I trust you, Lord!" 20:37 And He said, "Let go." 20:39 And we're not always so easy or ready 20:42 to put our full weight down. 20:45 I know that at the Batchelor cabin up in the hills, 20:49 we have been building a tree house for 20 years... it's true. 20:56 Actually building 2 of them and neither of them are done. 21:00 And it's sort of a bonding thing - I'll go out there 21:04 with the boys and this goes back to the first liter of kids, 21:07 just so you understand... and we'd nail some stairs 21:11 up there and it got to where it's pretty high. 21:15 As-a-matter-of-fact, the one behind the house now has 21:16 got like 3 stories... of course the floors are 21:18 not much bigger than this. 21:20 They're pretty small but it goes up and you get up there 21:22 pretty high - you fall and you're going to get hurt. 21:25 We got a rope swing; we got a tire swing. 21:30 It's pretty neat - little tip... 21:31 Take an old tire, turn it inside out - it's hard to do. 21:35 You cut half of the tire away leaving the cables there, 21:39 and it makes a seat you can sit in - very strong. 21:43 And I hung that by a chain wrapped around this oak tree 21:48 that swings out over a hill, so when it goes out 21:50 to the high end of the arch, 21:52 it's at least 50 feet off the ground... 21:56 And if a kid - if the rope should break 21:58 during that part of the arch, you'd go flying a long ways 22:02 because you're over a hill. 22:04 And so when I first put it up, I said to the boys, 22:08 "All right, who wants to go swinging?" 22:09 And they looked at it and they looked at the rope, 22:12 and they looked at me and said, "Why don't you show us, dad?" 22:18 Because, you know, their math isn't perfect, 22:20 but they knew I weighed more than they did. 22:22 And so they figured, "If it can hold you, 22:26 it might be able to hold us." 22:29 And so I said, "Aw, no problem guys." 22:31 So I get in the swing and I'd swing back and forth, 22:33 and I'd go like that and I'd put my weight down, 22:35 and after I did that a few times, 22:36 then they were ready to get in it. 22:37 But first, they wanted to see me get in it. 22:40 And when I nailed those steps going up the tree, 22:43 I said, "Okay, go on guys," 22:47 "Why don't you go up there, dad." 22:49 Because I know that 3 nails in an oak tree is going to hold me. 22:55 You know - the 2 x 4, so I'd climb up and I'd 22:58 climb back down and then you'd see them - pretty soon, 23:00 they'd start inching up, but they always felt a 23:03 little more secure if they'd see me jumping around 23:06 on the tree house or on the steps that if it would hold me, 23:09 and I weighed twice what they weighed when they were young, 23:11 it would hold them. 23:14 Now as time goes by, since that tree house is so old, 23:17 my doubts are growing also about it and I wonder 23:21 sometimes how long the rope is going to hold. 23:23 But still, the point remains that Jesus has come 23:27 into this world before us and He said, 23:30 "Look, I'm here not only to die for your sins, 23:32 I'm here to be an example for you. 23:34 I'm going to live My life as a man, not using any power 23:40 that is unavailable to you in the same way you see the 23:44 promises of the Father sustain Me, 23:47 My promises will sustain you." 23:50 And if the promises of God can hold My weight, 23:53 they can hold your weight. 23:56 And so, He has gone out before us to try to give us 23:59 courage that we can let our weight down. 24:02 We can trust Him, He will not disappoint us, Amen? 24:07 You know, I don't know if you've ever gone water skiing, 24:13 but one of the ideas of water skiing is you normally 24:18 cannot stand on the water on a ski standing still, 24:24 you've got to be moving. 24:26 And, the first water skis that came out... 24:29 I don't know if any of you remember when you went 24:31 skiing 40 years ago - they had these big 24:33 Cypress Garden water skis and they were about that wide 24:36 and you had 2 of them. 24:38 It was like you had patio doors on your feet, 24:41 great big skis because the boats weren't very powerful 24:44 in order to get up, they couldn't pull you that fast. 24:46 Then the skis got slimmer and then some day, one guy wanted 24:49 to show off and he learned how to slalom ski, 24:52 and then pretty soon, they were barefoot skiing 24:54 with 2 feet and then eventually, some guys got out there 24:56 and they barefoot with one foot in the water and one up. 25:00 You ever seen this before? 25:02 Well I wanted to try all that and I remember 25:06 the first time I got up on skis, my father had me 25:11 stand on the front of his skis. 25:14 I learned to water ski before I even learned to read. 25:17 I mean cause my dad lived on the water, 25:18 I don't remember not knowing how to water ski, 25:20 to tell you the truth, because we lived at the water, 25:23 it just happened early... 25:24 But he'd stand me on the front of his skis and I'd get up, 25:26 and you'd get the feel of it. 25:28 Then eventually they put me in the skis and, you know, 25:31 you do a lot of faceplants before you finally... 25:33 and you drink a lot of water before you finally 25:36 figure out how to get up on 2 skis and then eventually 25:40 he said, "Now you gotta learn to slalom ski." 25:42 And the boat would go a little faster and you'd pick up one 25:46 foot and you'd see what it felt like and eventually 25:48 you'd drop a ski and you'd get your foot behind it. 25:50 Any know what I'm talking about? You've done this before... 25:53 And then I wanted to try barefoot skiing. 25:55 And barefoot is you're up there slaloming, 25:58 and you go even faster still because, even though I 26:00 got big feet, you still your foot is not nearly as 26:02 big as a ski - it's got to hold you up. 26:04 So you're, at this point, going 40 miles an hour, 26:07 and now you've got to put down your weight, 26:10 and you put down one foot and you put the other. 26:11 The problem is, the faster you go, if you fall, 26:15 the farther you bounce and the more it hurts. 26:18 Now I said all of that to say this... 26:22 Your trust grows in life. 26:25 It starts small and you learn it from your parents. 26:29 They basically put you on their skis. 26:32 And as you mature as a Christian, you get where 26:34 you can put more and more weight down with less and less 26:37 to hold you up... until pretty soon, you're skiing on 26:43 nothing because you're hanging completely from the promises 26:47 of God - it's just the rope. 26:50 When you lose your faith, as you mature, 26:54 you feel it more. 26:57 God wants you to grow in your trust. 27:00 Are you growing or are you still 27:01 skiing on those 2 big patio doors in your life? 27:05 Have you learned to trust Him more and more and take big 27:08 steps of faith? 27:10 This is what it means to grow and you might 27:12 need to adjust your trusting. 27:14 Now, some people have a problem with trusting God 27:19 because they have experienced broken trust 27:23 in their earthly relationships. 27:26 It's often true, if you grow up in a family where 27:29 maybe there was a divorce... 27:31 And you find that if there's a violation of trust between 27:36 mom and dad, it usually affects the trust of the children. 27:41 If you found that you could not trust your earthly parents, 27:46 maybe because they were untrustworthy, 27:48 you are going to find a hard time separating 27:52 their failure from the dependability of your 27:54 Heavenly Father. 27:56 He will never fail you! 27:57 The Bible says, "If your father and mother forsake you, 28:00 the Lord will take you up." 28:01 Your Heavenly Father, He is called "Father" because it's 28:04 the closest relationship He can identify with, 28:06 but unfortunately, there's a downside to that. 28:10 Some of us have had earthly parents that have failed us... 28:13 Probably all of us - if you had human parents 28:16 that failed you in some way or disappointed you - 28:18 whether it's real or perceived... 28:20 But that can damage your trust to God - 28:22 that could make it harder for you to hang your faith on God, 28:25 and you gotta remember, He will never fail you. 28:28 Maybe you've had friends - you told them a secret; 28:33 you trusted them with inside information; 28:36 you needed to tell someone; 28:37 you developed this relationship... 28:38 And then they blabbed to everybody! 28:41 And they betrayed your trust. 28:44 Before I leave that point... 28:45 If you would keep your secret from an enemy, 28:48 don't tell it to a friend! 28:52 Sometimes - I mean, you all want a friend you can trust... 28:55 Someone said, "Most people can keep a secret, 28:58 it's the ones they tell it to that can't keep it." 29:03 I would never tell your secret, I told it to so and so, 29:06 and they couldn't keep it. 29:09 The Bible says in Proverbs 17:9, "He that covers a transgression 29:14 seeketh love, but he that repeats a matter, 29:17 separate very friends or cheat friends." 29:19 They betrayed you. 29:22 You may have had s spouse that violated their vows... 29:25 It sometimes is really hard to restore trust 29:29 in these earthly relationships when it's been broken. 29:32 You ever have somebody that you live in close proximity 29:36 and they steal from you and you just never thought 29:40 before about looking over your shoulder or counting things 29:43 when you left the room, but once there has been a 29:46 violation of trust, you find, boy - it just really makes you 29:49 unnerved and you wonder - can you ever trust them again? 29:56 And sometimes there have been problems in the marriage, 29:59 and maybe the wife drinks and the husband finds out. 30:04 She says, "I'll never do it again," or gambles. 30:08 I'm picking on the wife now because we always 30:09 pick on the husband. 30:11 "I'm sorry, I'll never do it again." 30:14 " All right, we're going to restore our relationship." 30:16 They fail again. 30:18 How much harder is it to trust them that 3rd time? 30:22 Or maybe the husband, in an anger, 30:26 he raises a hand and he hits his wife, 30:29 or in the argument, he throws her down on the floor... 30:33 And says, "I'm sorry, I'll never do that again, 30:35 please forgive me," and genuine remorse 30:37 and you say "okay," but what's happened to the trust? 30:40 You maybe do trust him. 30:43 In order to build up that trust where it was before, 30:47 it takes time, doesn't it? 30:50 A person has to demonstrate trustworthiness 30:54 in order to restore it... 30:55 And I could go on and on and give you examples, 30:57 but if there's been a violation of trust between friendship, 31:00 in marriages, in families where you work... 31:04 You know, one of the big key words in business today is trust 31:08 Consultants come to offices and they hammer over and over again 31:11 trust - trust - trust. 31:12 In order for you to work successfully together as a team, 31:15 you gotta trust each other! 31:17 They got all these exercises they do to build trust 31:20 in the office because people realize that 31:23 you can't have anything without trust. 31:24 You know the Bible has been saying 31:25 that for thousands of years. 31:27 It's all about faith, isn't it? 31:28 But when it's been damaged, it takes time to restore it. 31:33 The good news is, God will never let you down. 31:37 The problem is - if you've been let down by others on earth, 31:41 if you have been damaged in your trust relationships 31:45 horizontally, it often affects your 31:48 trust relationship vertically and you gotta separate the two. 31:52 God will never leave you, He will never forsake you, 31:55 He will never let you down. 31:57 His love is unconditional and not too many people 32:01 will be able to make that promise to you and keep it, 32:03 broken trust. 32:06 Jesus is something like our defense attorney. 32:11 Now this is in the Bible... 32:13 I always cringe when I say it because in our culture today 32:17 when you say "attorney," and I'm sorry for the 32:19 attorneys that are sitting out there watching on TV, 32:21 but you all know all the attorney jokes, 32:24 all the lawyer jokes. 32:26 I won't tell any of them right now 32:29 because it works against my point... 32:31 But lawyers are often portrayed as greedy or covetous. 32:38 But Jesus actually uses the analogy of our Advocate, 32:43 our Defense Attorney in the Bible. 32:46 Some of you have probably seen some of these news programs 32:50 where somebody is being investigated, 32:52 some high profile person is in trouble, 32:54 and it might be a governor or somebody whose 32:56 family members disappeared and they're appearing, 32:58 they are being interviewed on the news, 32:59 hopefully to make their case for their innocence, 33:01 and they'll often now be sitting there during the interview 33:04 next to their attorney... have you seen that before? 33:07 And the interviewer asks them a question... 33:10 and they turn to the attorney and they don't say anything, 33:14 the attorney answers for them and they just nod... 33:17 Because it's a sensitive question and they don't 33:19 know how to answer it, so they say, 33:20 "You better cover that." Right? 33:25 You know, the devil often comes against us as 33:27 "The accuser of the brethren." 33:30 Zechariah 3:1, "Then he showed me Joshua, the high priest, 33:34 standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing 33:36 at his right hand, to oppose or to accuse him. 33:41 Revelation 12, "The devil is identified as the accuser. 33:47 He is the prosecuting attorney. 33:50 If Jesus is our defense attorney, 33:51 the Devil is there saying, "They're guilty!" 33:55 Michael comes to resurrect Moses, the Devil shows up... 33:59 He says, "You can't have him." 34:02 He lost faith, he lost his temper, 34:04 he murdered an Egyptian! 34:07 The accuser of the brethren! 34:09 And it says there in Jude verse 9, 34:11 "Michael the archangel, in contending with the Devil, 34:14 when he disputed about the body of Moses, 34:16 he dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, 34:20 but said, "The Lord rebuke thee." 34:23 So in the defense of Moses, and in the defense of Joshua, 34:26 and many others, it's the Lord who then says, 34:29 "Look, I'll cover this, I'll be your advocate, 34:32 I'll be your defense attorney." 34:34 The promise is right there in 1 John 2:1, 34:36 "My little children, these things I write to you 34:42 that no man sin and if anyone sins, we have an advocate." 34:46 Do you know what that word "advocate" is? 34:48 Defense attorneys are not something that just came up 34:50 in the last 100 years, it goes back before the time of Christ. 34:55 "You have an advocate with the Father, 34:56 Jesus Christ the righteous. 34:58 So, when we stand guilty before God 35:01 and because of the law, Christ will defend us. 35:03 He'll plead our case, you can trust Him. 35:06 Who pays your attorney bill? 35:11 Your attorney does! 35:13 Jesus said, "I will represent you and I'll pay it." 35:19 Is He an honest attorney? 35:21 Can you trust your case with Him? 35:23 Does He have your best interest in mind? 35:27 Will He lose your case? 35:28 Not if you trust Him, He won't, you have to have trust. 35:33 Sometimes we need to adjust our trust when it comes to 35:38 hearing God and believing that God hears us. 35:43 A little boy came home from school to find out that 35:48 his older brother had gotten a new bicycle, 35:51 and he said to his brother, "How did you get that?" 35:54 He said, "You know, I've been praying for a bike, 35:57 and the Lord just blessed me and they got me one." 36:01 "I got it through prayer!" 36:03 And he said to his little brother, "If you pray, 36:06 you could get one too." 36:09 And the young guy was very pensive and he started to 36:11 walk away and then he came back and he said, 36:14 "You know why don't you just give me yours, 36:17 you're pretty good at this praying business, 36:18 and you can pray for another one." 36:22 He trusted that his brother's prayers 36:24 might be a little more effective. 36:26 He said, "You got more trust in prayer that I do." 36:28 He said, "Why don't you just give me your bike, 36:30 and you can pray for another one." 36:32 Jesus said in Matthew 21:22, "And whatever things you ask for 36:38 in prayer believing, you will receive." 36:42 That seems like a pretty broad promise! 36:45 Does He really mean that? 36:48 When you ask for something in accordance with God's will, 36:51 God identifies what those things are, 36:53 and you pray for anything good, believing, 36:58 Jesus says in many places, you can move mountains. 37:02 Do you trust Him? 37:05 Now keep in mind - so often our prayers are selfish. 37:09 If you've got the Holy Spirit, your prayers will be motivated 37:12 by love for God and love for each other. 37:14 The first thing you should be praying for is the Holy Spirit 37:16 because that will then - it will adjust all of your other prayers 37:21 If you've got the Holy Spirit, you pray right, 37:24 and you'll see your prayers answered. 37:26 And then what happens to your trust in God... 37:30 If failure of trust, if betrayal lowers trust, 37:36 what does dependability do to trust? 37:41 It puts more in the account, doesn't it? 37:43 If you would like more faith in God, then talk to Him, 37:47 pray and as He answers those prayers, 37:49 what happens to your trust? It grows - it gets bigger! 37:54 God will hear your prayers. 37:56 Is God concerned with your big problems? 38:02 I don't think so. 38:06 As-a-matter-of-fact, I only think God is concerned 38:08 with your little problems. 38:10 Think about this for a second. 38:14 Do you have a problem that's big for God? 38:17 From God's perspective, do you have any big problems? 38:21 Now I know, by comparison with each other, 38:25 some of us have what appears to be bigger problems than others. 38:29 But for those who trust God, is there any really big problem? 38:34 Can you ever imagine God saying, 38:37 "Wow - you know, I better build up to this..." 38:40 like some weightlifter that needs to work his way up 38:41 to a new weight level. 38:44 I mean, is there any weight that God can't lift? 38:49 Is there any problem where God says, 38:51 "Well you know, let's not get carried away, 38:53 that's too big for Me." 38:55 So every problem that you have, no matter how big 38:58 you think it is, it's a little problem for God. 39:02 Look at the Bible, if there's one thing it's telling us, 39:04 over and over, I mean when it looks like the situation was 39:07 hopeless... God often waited until 39:09 it looked like the situation was hopeless. 39:11 He says, "If you trust in Me, I'll show you 39:12 this is no problem for Me... 39:14 This is not a big problem for Me. 39:16 But also, God is interested in what you think are 39:19 trivial or little things. 39:23 You know, sometimes we've got this picture of 39:25 God up in the sky and He is like a switchboard operator. 39:28 Any of you remember the old switchboard operators? 39:30 They're trying to take care of the telephone service 39:32 for some little town... 39:33 And you had this lady that sat there with a pair of 39:36 headphones on and a little microphone, 39:37 and she's making connections... 39:39 She's saying - "Can you please hold," "Just a moment please, 39:40 I gotta another call - hang on." 39:42 And just - Oh, so frantic and frazzled because they got 39:44 all these phone lines going and there's some emergency, 39:48 and everybody is on the phone and how can I handle it all, 39:50 and her comments get shorter and shorter, 39:53 and her answers get more irritated the busier she gets. 39:58 I think sometimes we think about God like that. 40:01 "So many people praying - I'm just going to make Him mad." 40:05 "And, you know, I've asked for the same thing so many times, 40:07 if He hears me one more time, 40:08 He might be having a bad hair day and get upset with me." 40:12 Is God like that? 40:14 Do you ever pray about anything small that God says, 40:19 "You know, I've got a lot of big things I'm dealing with..." 40:23 I don't even know if I should tell you this... 40:26 I'm on Facebook now. 40:29 How many here know what I'm talking about? 40:31 Ohhh - you're on Facebook too! 40:34 Maybe if you're nice, I'll be your friend... ha, ha, ha. 40:39 ... Along with about 4,000 other people! 40:42 I had no idea how this worked, someone actually got me started. 40:46 I now have 4,000 friends! 40:49 And, they're all emailing me, 40:53 and I'm wondering how much longer this can go 40:56 because I'm just having to throw my hands in the air and say, 40:59 "You know, I can't answer all these emails that I'm getting." 41:02 And nice little comments - but what's kind of neat about it 41:05 is I'm running into people I haven't seen for years 41:07 and... "Aww, you're still out there - I've lost track of you," 41:09 and that's kind of neat when that happens. 41:11 I still haven't met anyone from my youth yet. 41:14 Really, I mean, I just - I don't know anybody I 41:16 went to school with... I've just totally lost contact 41:18 with that whole part of my life. 41:20 It would be fun if one of them finally signs on and says, 41:22 "Are you that guy - Batchelor?" 41:24 But I can see where this can grow to the point 41:30 where it's really going to be hard for me to manage 41:32 all these relationships... 41:34 But God is not that way, and God doesn't - 41:38 because He has more children that turn to Him, 41:41 He doesn't say, "Well, you know, there's only so much... 41:43 You're going to have to have a smaller piece of Me now... 41:46 Like parents that end up with 20 children - 41:48 have to divide their time more than a parent that 41:51 has 1 child that gets spoiled. 41:54 Sorry for those of you that have one spoiled child... 41:59 But you know what I'm saying... 42:00 I wasn't talking to you - Debbie and Eric, 42:02 I just wanted you to know that, that wasn't a hint either... 42:10 But God has got infinite attention capacity! Amen? 42:16 That means He will give you 100% of His time, 42:21 and you know what's great about it? 42:22 He'll give it to you all day long - if you want it. 42:26 As-a-matter-of-fact, He would prefer that He give you 42:30 100% of His time all day long, 42:33 and that's what it means to walk with God. 42:35 And you don't ever take such a big piece of Him 42:37 that He starts getting frustrated 42:39 that you're getting greedy. 42:41 He wants to have a relationship with you. 42:44 Sometimes you know, we, because of our relationships here 42:48 and our trust here, we superimpose that on God 42:50 and He's not that way. 42:52 He's got all the time in the world for you. 42:55 You need to trust His power. 42:58 Through Christ, you can do all things. 43:04 Do you believe that? 43:06 Several times in the Bible, it tells us - "All things are 43:09 possible to him that believes." 43:12 There's a scripture here... you don't read this very often, 43:16 but it tells us that... Luke 10:19, 43:21 "Behold I give you power to trample on serpents 43:25 and scorpions and over the power of the enemy 43:28 ... nothing shall by any means hurt you." 43:32 Do you trust God? 43:35 Believe it or not, when we went down to Central America, 43:38 they called me up in preparation for my visit and they said, 43:42 "Will you be needing a bodyguard?" 43:45 I said, "What?" 43:48 They said, "Well, we've had guests before that 43:49 said that they would need a bodyguard.' 43:52 Now, I know you think this is really bizarre, 43:56 but I have traveled in places of the world where 43:59 the locals said, "We've got someone 44:01 who is assigned to guard you." 44:03 I remember when I went to Cameroon, Africa, 44:04 they were going to have somebody stand outside my 44:06 hotel room all night long to guard me and I sent them home. 44:10 I said, "No, you know, if I don't have enough faith 44:13 in God that He could send an angel to take care of me, 44:15 how am I supposed to teach all of you about faith?" 44:18 But they had had guests before that had come that had an 44:22 entourage of armed people around them wherever they went. 44:26 And what does that say about your trust? 44:31 When Ezra was going to go from the King of Persia 44:37 and take this financial gift from the King of Persia 44:40 back to build the temple in Jerusalem, 44:42 the King of Persia said, "I'll send an armed guard 44:44 to protect you from robbers along the way." 44:47 And Ezra writes, "I would be ashamed to take that... 44:51 we're going to trust God to watch out for us." 44:53 And he declined the armed guard, 44:54 and the King of Persia was amazed! 44:57 He said, "Our God will watch over us." 44:59 That he would travel through those hundreds of miles 45:02 of land where there are robbers, trusting in God's protection, 45:06 and God took care of him, didn't He? 45:08 So I think, sometimes, Christians need to say, 45:10 "Look, I want to demonstrate my... " 45:12 Now don't tempt the Lord and be foolish, 45:13 I'm not talking about that, but you want to 45:16 be able to trust God that He will watch over you. 45:19 Trust in His power! 45:21 Trust in His provision. 45:23 You know, there's a statement in the book, 45:28 "Desire of Ages," p. 121, "In the last conflict of the 45:32 controversy with Satan, those who are loyal to God 45:36 will see every earthly support cut off." 45:40 There will be no government package to take care of you. 45:44 Every earthly support will be gone! 45:47 That not only means, at some point, 45:50 you won't be able to buy or sell. 45:52 By the way, it actually says that here... 45:54 I didn't finish reading that. 45:56 "Because they refused to break his law in obedience 45:59 to the earthly powers, they'll be forbidden to buy or sell." 46:02 Not only that, but I think that at some point 46:04 in your Christian experience, every earthly relationship 46:08 is going to be cut off - that they'll be a time in 46:11 everyone's life when maybe you'll be isolated. 46:14 God will just require you to say, "Lord You are my only Hope. 46:21 You're the only One that I can depend on." 46:24 We get opportunities to practice that kind of trust 46:27 all the time - not only in our relationships with each other, 46:32 but in our relationship with God. 46:34 Every time we come to church, you have an opportunity 46:38 to practice trust - trusting people, 46:40 trusting the Word of God that's read. 46:42 When you give your offerings, you have an opportunity 46:45 to show your faith in God and for some of you, 46:48 with your finances the way they might be right now, 46:50 it requires more faith than others. 46:54 Reminds me of a story where a man came to church, 46:58 he was a new Christian and said, "Pastor, I'm having a problem 47:01 with this tithe business. 47:03 I just can't wrap my mind around the idea that I'm 47:06 going to be able to - with my financial challenges right now, 47:08 to trust God with 10% of my increase." 47:12 He said, "I don't have enough to pay all my bills!" 47:17 Then the pastor said to him, "John, I tell you what, 47:20 if I were to promise you that if you try, for the next 47:25 2 months, trusting God and paying tithe, 47:28 that if you have any shortage of funds to pay your bills, 47:31 that I will cover your bills for you." 47:34 John was rather surprised at the generosity of the pastor. 47:37 He said, "Pastor, you'd do that for me?" 47:39 He said, "Would you trust me?" 47:40 He said, "Yeah, I trust you." 47:41 "Will you pay your tithe if I make that promise?" 47:44 He said, "Yeah, I will." 47:46 He said, "So John, what you're telling me is that you'll 47:47 trust the pastor more than you'll trust God." 47:51 He said, "Ooo, hadn't thought of it that way." 47:56 What does God say? "Prove Me - trust Me" 48:00 "Prove me now if I won't open for you the windows 48:02 of heaven and pour out a blessing." 48:03 Some of us have never experienced it. 48:05 John became a tithe-payer and God never let him down. 48:09 We have opportunities all the time to put our trust in God. 48:13 Every day... Sometimes we're tempted to do something 48:16 that we think is going to bring us happiness and God says, 48:18 "No, it won't - trust Me." 48:19 And we say, "I don't believe You God, I really think this is 48:22 going to make me happy." 48:23 And then we do or buy what we're not supposed to do or buy, 48:29 and we find out that it turns bitter in the end and say, 48:33 "Oh Lord, why didn't I trust You." 48:35 We have opportunities all the time - trust God. 48:38 Trust His Word - which is one of my last points. 48:43 Sin entered our world because man did not trust God. 48:50 Any of you ever go to a house that's nicely decorated, 48:54 and you see fruit in a basket on the table? 48:57 And you reach out to take a piece only to discover 49:00 that it's weightless because it's plastic? 49:03 False trust - phony fruit. 49:08 God said to Eve - "Trust Me, My Word says - do not eat 49:13 the forbidden fruit and you'll be fine." 49:15 The Devil said, "Aww no, it will be great." 49:18 And it turned to sand in their mouths. 49:23 Sometimes we trust the wrong things... false trust. 49:29 Proverbs 28:26, "He who trusts his own 49:33 heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered." 49:38 Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withers, 49:41 the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." 49:46 Matthew 24:35, Jesus said, "Heaven and earth 49:51 will pass away but My Word will not pass away." 49:55 That's why it has endured all this time... 49:56 Here's something you can trust, friends. 49:58 And you know what you're doing when you trust the Bible? 50:02 What's another name for Jesus? 50:05 "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." 50:08 When you trust - if you say, "Lord, I want to trust you," 50:10 well this is how you trust Him. 50:12 He is the Word. 50:13 He is the Bread of Life - this is the Bread of Life. 50:17 If you want to show He is the Rock, 50:18 this is the Rock - isn't that right? 50:20 All the analogies that you find for the Bible, 50:22 are also analogies for Jesus. 50:25 And if you put your trust in Jesus, 50:27 you'll put your trust in the promises in His Word. 50:31 We're living in a very interesting volatile time 50:33 in the world's history and I don't know exactly 50:37 what is going to happen from month-to-month. 50:40 It's kind of exciting watching, isn't it? 50:43 Gives us opportunities to trust Him. 50:47 We don't know from day-to-day 50:49 if there will be money in the bank. 50:52 We don't know from day-to-day what's 50:53 going to happen with the military; 50:55 what's going to happen with the financial situation; 51:00 with our health. 51:01 The only thing that we know is immovable in this world, 51:05 an anchor that does not change, is Jesus. 51:08 Jesus is that Rock. 51:09 Jesus is the One Person you can trust 51:13 who will never let you down. 51:15 And He'll help restore your trust 51:17 in your other relationships. 51:18 He gives you that peace and that forgiveness. 51:21 That's why it's so important to trust in Him. 51:23 That's why we're going to sing about that now, friends. 51:25 How many of you would like to say, "By Your grace, Lord, 51:27 I want to adjust my trust, 51:29 so I trust you with all of my heart." 51:31 "Lean not to your own understanding; 51:33 acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your paths." 51:36 Let's stand together as we sing 524, 51:39 "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" 51:59 Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, 52:05 Just to take Him at His word. 52:10 Just to rest upon His promise, 52:16 Just to know, "Thus saith the Lord." 52:21 Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him; 52:27 How I've proved Him o'er and o'er! 52:32 Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! 52:38 Oh for grace to trust Him more. 52:46 Obviously the theme of our message this morning 52:50 is to encourage you - hopefully to inspire you 52:52 to trust God more. 52:54 Some of us have been wounded in our 52:57 earthly trust relationships, 53:00 and that has affected our trust in God. 53:02 You know, the Lord can heal that and He can heal 53:04 your hearts and He can help you to make a separation 53:07 in your spirit between some of those failed 53:10 earthly relationships and your trust relationship to God. 53:15 He wants you to have a complete unreserved trust in Him 53:19 where you'll put your entire weight down on His promises. 53:23 If you'd like to ask Him, in a special way... 53:26 "Oh Lord, heal my heart so I can completely trust in You. 53:30 I don't want to be doubtful and cynical." 53:32 Maybe you've got some special need that you would like 53:35 to express or some special area of trust, 53:37 and you'd like us to pray about. 53:39 If you want to come forward during this time 53:41 while we sing verse 2, we'd like to pray for you. 53:44 Come - and we'll pray together. 53:47 O how sweet to trust in Jesus, 53:53 Just to trust His cleansing blood; 53:59 Just in simple faith to plunge me 54:04 Neath the healing cleansing flood. 54:10 Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him; 54:17 How I've proved Him o'er and o'er! 54:22 Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! 54:29 O for grace to trust Him more! 54:37 Before we sing the last verse, I'd like to be more specific 54:40 in my appeal. 54:41 Do you trust Jesus to completely forgive you? 54:46 Do you know that you know, when you leave this place, 54:50 that based on His promises, all of your sins are forgiven, 54:53 and you can just have joy in the Lord? 54:56 Or are you trusting in what you do? 54:58 Are you trusting Him for power... 55:01 that He'll give you whatever you need, 55:03 when you need it - so you can have that 55:06 grace and that assurance. 55:08 Do you trust Him for your forgiveness? 55:11 You know, that's more important than 55:12 every earthly need. 55:13 You might be worried about trusting God financially, 55:16 trusting Him with your health, in your relationships, 55:19 but the most important thing is... 55:20 Do you trust Him with your soul? 55:22 Do you trust Him - that He can save you? 55:25 You gotta put all your weight down, 55:27 trust that He'll forgive your sins 55:28 and give you whatever you need 55:30 to become what He wants you to be. 55:32 If that's the kind of trust you especially 55:35 are praying for right now, as we sing the last verse, 55:37 verse 4- come to the front, we'll pray with you. 55:42 I'm so glad I learned to trust Thee, 55:48 Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend; 55:53 And I know that Thou art with me, 55:59 Wilt be with me till the end. 56:05 Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him; 56:11 How I've proved Him o'er and o'er! 56:17 Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! 56:24 O for grace to trust Him more! 56:33 Loving Father, We are so thankful for the 56:37 promises that You have provided, 56:39 and the examples you give us in Your Word - 56:41 that You never let Your people down, 56:43 that You can be trusted; 56:45 that we can be confident that if You have nailed the boards 56:49 to hold our weight, that if Jesus went the way 56:52 before us, that those promises 56:54 that held Him up, will hold us up. 56:56 Lord, I pray that we can have more childlike faith 57:01 that we can be like Christ through faith in Your Word, 57:06 that You are available all of the time 57:08 to give us all of Your attention, 57:10 that You love us that much. 57:12 Bless each person here, those who may be 57:14 listening or watching and I pray that we'll be more 57:17 like Christ because of our time together. 57:20 With the storm that brews in the world about us, 57:23 I pray that we will see that You are the Rock, 57:27 Your Word is the Rock 57:29 that we can depend on that is immovable; 57:32 that we can build on, that will survive the storms. 57:36 Bless us, Lord, that we can leave this place 57:38 with peace and faith and confidence 57:40 because we are trusting our souls in Your hands, 57:43 and trusting You to wash us in Your blood. 57:45 We thank You and ask this now in Christ name... Amen 57:50 If you've missed any of our Amazing Facts Programs, 57:52 visit our website at AMAZINGFACTS.ORG 57:55 There, you'll find an archive of all our television 57:57 and radio programs including "Amazing Facts Presents" 58:01 One location, so many possibilities! 58:03 AMAZINGFACTS.ORG |
Revised 2014-12-17