Participants: Steve Nelson
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000392
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00:31 Welcome to Faith Chapel. My name is Steve Nelson.
00:33 Our message today is titled, Trust His Heart. 00:37 How do you know you can trust God? 00:39 Through the message today I believe we will see 00:41 that God is trustworthy. But before we begin, 00:44 let us start with a word of prayer. 00:46 Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you 00:49 for the opportunity we have to see from your word 00:52 how we can trust you. And Father, I just pray 00:55 as we spend this time together 00:56 that you will show us and lead us by your spirit, 00:59 Father, that we will know that You are a trustworthy God. 01:03 We thank You in the name of Your dear Son. Amen. 01:07 Proverbs 3 verse 5 and 6 gives us 01:10 these interesting texts. It says, Trust in the LORD 01:13 with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine 01:16 own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, 01:19 and he shall direct thy paths. But how do you know 01:24 you can trust someone? I believe the trust 01:27 is the cornerstone of our relationship with God. 01:30 Without Trust how you will be able to give 01:32 yourself completely to Him? How do you know 01:35 when the difficult times come that He will be there for you. 01:37 That He will be the one who will bring us 01:40 through those difficult times. But it's not just 01:42 our relationship with God, we have difficulty in trusting 01:45 our friends and our close family members around us. 01:48 How do we know the people who we depend upon 01:51 will be there for us when we need them? 01:53 An interesting survey was done 01:55 in the American Sociological Review, 01:57 and the survey said that circles of close friends 02:00 and family are shrinking for most Americans. 02:03 And nearly one quarter of those who responded 02:06 to this survey said there was no one in whom 02:08 they could confide. No one, its very interesting. 02:12 In the world that we live today, 02:13 with all the relationships that we have 02:15 and how we've learned to develop relationships, 02:19 one fourth of those who surveyed said 02:21 they had no one in whom they could trust. 02:23 Proverbs tells us there is a friend 02:26 that sticketh closer than a brother. 02:28 I believe there is someone that we can trust. 02:31 But how do you know, how do you know 02:33 you can trust God? Psalms 37:5 says this, 02:37 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; 02:41 and he shall bring it to pass. The Bible is telling us 02:44 that we can commit ourselves to God and when we do so, 02:48 we trust in Him that He will bring it to pass. 02:51 It takes away from us the need to be able, have to worry 02:54 about how we're going to deal with our life. 02:57 Let me tell you, illustrate from a story what I mean. 03:01 A number of months ago, my wife and I took 03:03 a trip to Norway. We flew out of Memphis, 03:09 Tennessee, and we went down to the airport. 03:12 We got there in plenty of time, 03:13 it was a hot afternoon and we had to struggle 03:16 with bringing our suitcases into the airport 03:18 and going through the security and all those things 03:20 that I find to be very annoying actually. 03:23 But we went through security and we got down 03:26 to the terminals where we were going to wait 03:28 for our flight. And we had plenty of time, 03:29 it's an international flight, so they tell you 03:31 to be there several hours early. 03:34 Well as we sat there, we had been there 03:36 about half-hour and all of a sudden 03:37 an announcement came over the PA system, 03:39 and it says, the flight has been delayed. 03:42 Now I don't know about you, but one thing 03:44 I dislike more than anything else is to hear 03:47 the flight has been delayed. Well we sat there, 03:50 and not long after that, another announcement 03:54 came on and they said, the flight is now going 03:57 to be delayed for an X amount of time, 03:58 I think it was two hours. But, the airline was 04:01 very cordial and very polite and they said, 04:04 we're gonna offer you meal vouchers 04:05 so that you can have a meal while you wait. 04:08 So, we went and took our meal voucher 04:10 and we walked through the airport, 04:12 found a nice little place to sit-down, 04:13 and we had a nice little vegetarian meal 04:16 there and as we came back, we noticed 04:19 the time and it was still over an hour-and-half 04:22 before the flight was scheduled to leave. 04:25 Well then there came another announcement, 04:27 and the announcement said the flight has been canceled. 04:31 And I watched as a mad scurry of rush of people 04:34 just quickly headed towards the, 04:37 out towards the terminal and they told them 04:39 that you need to go back toward the agent is 04:41 that you checked in and when you do that, 04:43 they will reassign your flight. 04:45 And we set down and we watched and we waited 04:48 and I had perfect peace. Normally I would 04:52 have been the type of person, I would have been 04:53 stressing about this, because we only had 04:55 a short window of time that we were supposed 04:57 to get to our destination in Norway. 05:00 Well as I watched the people go back, 05:02 my wife and I slowly walked back through the terminal. 05:04 As we got to the security exit, 05:06 I noticed the security guard was standing there 05:08 and he is kind of directing people and he said, 05:10 where can I direct you, how can help you? 05:12 I said well the flight we were on was just canceled. 05:14 He said, well you go out here through the terminal, 05:16 you make a left and you will see 05:18 someone there at the counter who can help you. 05:20 And as I walked out through the terminal 05:22 I saw a long line of people over here to the right, 05:24 but he told us to go to the left. 05:27 And so we walked over to the left and there was a, 05:29 just a short line right here to left. 05:32 There was an agent standing here and there 05:33 was a woman in front of us and the woman 05:35 she asked us and she says how can help you? 05:37 And we says well I was on a fight that was canceled. 05:39 She says oh well you have to go to this line over here. 05:44 We knew what she was gonna say to us, 05:45 but she walked up to us and she said 05:47 well how can I help you? And my wife and I said, 05:50 well we were on flight to Norway 05:51 that was canceled and they told us to come here, 05:53 and she looked at us and said well you can stay here. 05:59 You see what I mean, when you have a problem 06:01 and a difficulty, God is there to take care 06:03 of that problem for you. It doesn't mean that he will 06:06 always work it out in the way that you think, 06:07 but he always does take care of you. 06:10 As we stood in line, it was only a few more moments, 06:13 we got to the counter, and the ticket agent 06:15 there tried disparately to try to get us 06:18 on another flight that would get us to 06:20 our destination in time. She went through try 06:23 and going to different locations, 06:25 going from to different continents, 06:27 just to try and get us to where we could get to Norway 06:30 in the specified time. Finally, after what seemed 06:34 like an eternity probably is only half-hour 06:35 she was able to get us on a flight. 06:38 The Airline then did something rather unique, 06:40 they give us ticket vouchers for the meals the next day, 06:44 they provided our hotel that night, 06:46 and they provided a show to the hotel. 06:50 As we, we were on the show, 06:53 I was talking with the gentleman there and he told us 06:55 he had stayed in all of the, this chain of hotels 06:58 in this area and he said, this is the nicest one 07:01 of all of these hotels. I believe that God takes 07:06 care of your needs. See, normally I would have been 07:08 the person who would been there, 07:09 hurrying through life, stressing, 07:11 trying to figure out how are we gonna make this happen? 07:14 But, when you trust God, he opens the way for you. 07:21 James 2:23 says this, Abraham believed God, 07:25 and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: 07:28 and he was called a Friend of God. 07:31 Abraham believed God, but his faith in God 07:33 was not always perfect. You see Abraham 07:36 was called the father, the faithful, 07:38 but Abraham had not always been faithful. 07:40 He had great faith, don't get me wrong 07:43 Abraham's faith was strong, but there were times 07:45 that even Abraham's faith in God tended to waiver. 07:50 God called Abraham out of his homeland 07:53 and he called him to a new place 07:55 where he was going to live and he left in faith, 07:57 knowing and believing that God will take care of him. 07:59 Not knowing where he would go, but that God would 08:03 take care of him. And then, God promises Abraham 08:08 that he would make him the father of a great nation. 08:11 That through him all the seeds of the earth will be blessed 08:15 and in Genesis chapter 21, verses 1 and 2, 08:19 God gives him this promise and he tells him that, 08:23 the Lord said I have visited Sarah as he said he would, 08:27 and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 08:30 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham 08:33 a son in his old age, and at the set time 08:36 of which God had spoken. Abraham had not always 08:41 followed God's will though, he had lacked faith 08:44 when it came to the child of this promise. 08:45 He had lacked the faith that God would do for him 08:49 what God had said he would. But, here in his old age, 08:52 God proved that he was faithful, 08:54 he proved that he was trustworthy. 08:56 And God told him he would do and he did it, 08:59 even though Abraham had tired in his own way, 09:02 he had taken a wife that God had not told him to do. 09:05 And when his faith stumbled, God still proved that 09:08 he was faithful, even though Abraham's faith 09:11 was not as strong as it should have been. 09:14 Inspiration tells us not that now God brought 09:17 to Abraham a test. See, even though Abraham 09:21 had been faithful in certain areas of his life. 09:23 When he failed the test to believe that God would do 09:26 when he told him to do, 09:27 God brought the test back around. 09:30 And in Genesis chapter 22 verse 2 09:32 we see this important text. God tells Abraham, 09:36 take thy son, thine only son Isaac, 09:39 whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; 09:43 and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one 09:46 of the mountains which I will show thee of. 09:49 This was a fear test for Abraham, 09:53 it was a tremendous heart ache. 09:54 Now here he is, in his old age, 09:57 with the odor of youth is passed away, 09:59 his vigor and his manhood are nearly gone, 10:01 and his feet are faltering towards the grave. 10:03 And here, in these very last moments of his life, 10:07 God brings to him this test. And the only one 10:11 that he could lean on, the only one that he could 10:13 have faith in was God, and it was God who 10:16 brought him a test. You see it was in obedience 10:20 to faith that Abraham had forsaken his country. 10:24 It was an obedience to God that he done 10:26 what God had asked. He might have thought, 10:27 you know I've already been faithful to you God. 10:29 I've left my home, I've left my family, 10:31 why are you still testing me? From the books, 10:36 Patriarchs and Prophets, the author gives us 10:38 a magnificent account of the struggle that Abraham 10:41 had to endure. Abraham, after he heard this word from God, 10:46 Satan was at hand, he was there to suggest 10:49 that maybe he had been deceived. 10:50 The divine law certainly wouldn't require him 10:54 to take the life of his son, for God's law said, 10:56 thou shalt not kill. And God will not require him 11:00 to do what had been forbidden. Abraham goes outside 11:04 of his tent, and he goes up and he looks into the calm, 11:06 unclouded skies and he remembers the promise 11:10 that was made to him all those years ago, 11:12 your seed would be as numerable and numerable 11:15 as the stars. How will this promise 11:19 be fulfilled he thought if he had to give his son Isaac. 11:25 Abraham was tempted to believe that he might be 11:27 under a delusion, we're told. In doubt, 11:30 in anguish, he bows to the earth and he prays 11:32 as he's never prayed before. And he pleads with God 11:37 somehow to give him another conformation 11:40 that this command was truly a duty that he had to perform. 11:44 He remembered the time that the angels 11:46 had visit him when he had gone to Sodom 11:48 and he goes out to the spot, the very spot where 11:50 he had met with the angels and he stands there 11:52 and he waits, hoping to see, to receive another message 11:56 to confirm that this was truly what God wanted him to do. 12:01 He had no message came. The author says, 12:03 the darkness seem to shut him in, 12:06 but the command of God was sound in his ears, 12:08 take thy son, thine only son whom the lovest. 12:14 He knew the command must be obeyed 12:17 and he dare not to delay. Daylight was approaching 12:20 and he knew he had to be on his journey. 12:23 My question for you is, do you delay 12:25 when God gives you a command? It's an important question, 12:29 it's not something that you can just pass over lightly. 12:31 When God tells you, he wants you to do something, 12:35 do you follow him? It reaches down into the very core 12:40 of our relationship with God and ask us to prove 12:42 our hearts and say, Father, do I really trust You? 12:46 Do I really believe You? Or do I only follow You 12:49 when it's convenient for me? Am I only gonna do 12:52 what you ask me to do, when I can see the way clearly, 12:55 when I know the path is straight 12:58 and then will I follow. But how will you follow God 13:01 when the more difficult time comes if you don't trust Him? 13:07 I believe it's only by knowing God that you can learn 13:11 to trust Him. It's who you trust, 13:13 it's who you follow. If you trust God, 13:14 you're gonna follow Him, if you trust Satan, 13:17 you're gonna follow Him. It's a very clear, 13:20 clear understanding that we must have, 13:22 we need to know that we can trust God. 13:26 In the book Patriarchs and Prophets 13:27 this quote is given, That he might reach 13:30 the highest standard, the highest standard, 13:33 God subject him to the closest test 13:36 which man was ever called to endure. 13:41 It was not that God is arbitrary, 13:43 because we know God is not. God needed to show Abraham 13:48 that he could trust him. He needed to know 13:52 that he could depend upon him. But, what is God 13:55 calling you to endure today? Other tests 13:58 and trails in your life that God has brought you 14:00 through that are testing your faith. 14:02 And if so, how do you know that you can trust God? 14:06 Abraham returns to his tent, and he goes to the place 14:10 where he sees Isaac sleeping there, and he looks 14:12 at his son laying, sleeping this deep sleep 14:15 and he looks on the face of his dear son 14:18 and he turns away trembling. He goes to Sarah, 14:21 and he goes to her side, where she is also sleeping. 14:23 Should he awaken her, should he tell her 14:26 what he has to do? She needs to embrace her 14:30 child one more time he thinks. But, he also knows 14:35 a mother's heart, and he knows how difficult 14:38 it would be for her to be able to give up her son's life too. 14:43 He longs to unburden himself, he longs to be able to 14:46 share with her this terrible responsibility, 14:50 but he was restrains himself. Isaac was her pride 14:54 and her joy, and her life was bound up in him. 14:58 Where do you turn when you have to trust somebody 15:05 My wife and I have a dog who is 16 years old now. 15:10 She has been with us many years, 15:11 she is a very precious dog, her name is Lisa. 15:14 And Lisa over the past for years has been suffering 15:17 a lot of physical problems. And in the last year or so, 15:22 she started having seizures. And very time she has 15:26 a seizure, she will come and she will 15:28 stand right beside us, because she wants to be 15:31 right next to the ones she trusts. 15:34 She wants to be right close, and she will put her head 15:36 right next to my leg and she will just stand there 15:39 as if she is saying, please make it all right, 15:42 make it go away. She knows that she can trust us. 15:48 Psalms 56 verse 3 says this, What time I am afraid, 15:53 I will trust in thee. It was a three day journey 15:59 to the mountain, where God had called him, 16:01 three day was the sufficient amount of time 16:03 for Abraham to think about what has been going 16:07 through his mind, what God had said, 16:08 take thy son, thine only son. And now he takes Isaac, 16:14 he leaves the servants behind, then he takes Isaac 16:17 and they go and proceed toward the mountain of God. 16:21 They stood on the spot where the sacrifice 16:23 was to be given. Isaac turns to his father 16:27 and he says father, we have the fire and the wood, 16:31 but where is the lamb? I imagine Abraham's voice 16:34 quivers as he says, son God will provide 16:39 Himself a lamb for a burnt offering. 16:43 Little did he understand or comprehend 16:45 the true meaning of those words, 16:46 God will provide Himself a lamb. 16:52 I wonder how it is possible for Isaac to be able to 16:55 trust his father? You know I know 16:58 that often times people that I meet have difficulty 17:04 in times in trusting others, because of the relationships 17:08 that they have had in growing up. 17:11 Not long ago, my wife and I, counseled with a young lady, 17:14 we'll call her Joannie. And as Joannie sat with us, 17:19 she tried to tell us the story of her life, 17:22 but she couldn't, it was too painful for her, 17:25 it was too difficulty, the words just 17:27 wouldn't come out, only tears would flow 17:30 and Joannie would just cry and sob. 17:33 It took us over two hours just to be able to 17:36 understand a little bit of her story 17:37 that Joannie had been abused. And as a child, 17:40 Joannie had suffered extreme difficult 17:44 and heart aches and abuse. We prayed with her, 17:49 we spent time with her and counseled with her. 17:52 And over a period of time, Joannie started to be able to 17:56 open up and started to see that maybe 17:58 she could trust God. So much that she came 18:01 to the point where she decided that she really 18:03 wanted to reach out in faith and ask God to heal her 18:06 of her past hurts and pains. We had anointing service 18:11 for Joannie and after the anointing service, 18:13 several days later, we got an email from her 18:16 and she told us she says her life has been changed. 18:20 The Holy Spirit had come in and he had removed 18:22 those scars and the pains of all those years, 18:25 and now she is a new creature in Jesus Christ, 18:28 thankful to the Holy Spirit. Only a father's heart could 18:35 truly understand the internal struggle 18:36 that Abraham had to endure. The indescribable anguish, 18:41 so great that it nearly crushed his own heart. 18:45 As Abraham bound his son and lay him upon the alter, 18:48 he must have hoped, he must have thought 18:50 there was still another way. Perhaps this was only a test? 18:55 How would he tell Sarah that he took the life 18:58 of their only son? Well he knew that the knife 19:02 that would pierce her son, would also pierce her heart 19:06 when it took his life. But, greater then all this, 19:10 greater then all this doubts and his worries 19:12 and his fears was his trust and his faith in the one 19:16 that had called him to the place. 19:21 The book Patriarchs and Prophets 19:22 tells us that even now he did not murmur against God. 19:25 Even now, going through all of this he was strengthened, 19:28 he strengthened his soul by dwelling upon 19:31 the evidences of the Lord's goodness and faithfulness. 19:36 He believed that the God who gave life could give it again. 19:40 And no one but God could understand the sacrifice 19:43 that this father had to endure. 19:46 It's interesting to think and contemplate 19:48 that he strengthened himself and believing 19:52 and recalling the evidences of God's goodness. 19:54 When you're going through a difficult time, 19:56 sometimes it's hard to remember how God 19:58 has been faithful to you in the past. 20:00 It's hard to recount how he has 20:02 taken care of you in the past. But, these are very times 20:05 that you need to go back and recount and recall 20:08 what it is that God has done for you. 20:10 These are the times that you strengthen yourself 20:13 as David did in the Lord, you remember 20:15 the goodness of God and his mercies. 20:20 You see, I believe that to know the truth about God, 20:25 to know the truth about how you can trust God, 20:30 you have to know God as Abraham did. Proverbs 29 says, 20:35 he putteth his trust in the Lord, shall be safe. 20:41 If you put your trust in God, God has promised 20:44 you that you will be safe. Abraham knew, 20:48 he believed and he followed God's voice. 20:50 How is that with you? Do you believe, 20:53 do you know God's voice? When he calls you, 20:58 do you hear his voice? When a difficult time comes, 21:01 do you trust him because you know him. 21:04 Slowly the Bible tells us, he raises a knife 21:10 and he is about to take Isaac life, 21:12 when suddenly a voice, a voice, the same voice 21:15 that will judge the wicked. The same voice that 21:17 will call the righteous back from the dead. 21:19 The same voice that will proclaim his love 21:22 for you throughout eternity it says, 21:24 take not the life of your son. Genesis 22:12 says, 21:30 Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou 21:33 anything unto him: for now I know that thou 21:37 fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, 21:41 thine only son from me. The Bible states 21:46 that Abraham called the name of this place, 21:48 Jehovah-jireh. Only once, only once in God's 21:53 word is that name ever spoken. And only once 21:57 did God offer his son to bear our sins 22:00 in His own body on the tree. Jehovah-jireh, 22:04 this solemn, endearing term has been used 22:06 by many to name and claim the blessings of God. 22:09 But when we do this, when we take this name 22:12 and we pervert its meaning, we diminish 22:14 the pure and holy purpose of what Jehovah-jireh means. 22:18 Jehovah-jireh is the God who emptied the storehouse 22:22 of Heaven, and gave Heaven's richest gift 22:25 in the life of his own son Jesus. 22:27 Jesus, who was the lamb slain from the foundation 22:30 of the earth. Jesus, in him God provided 22:33 himself a lamb, which would takeaway 22:37 the sins of the world. Abraham, I believe, 22:40 will never again be able to look at the sacrificial 22:42 lamb without thinking of the infinite price 22:44 that God paid for sin. God withheld Abraham 22:48 from taking Isaac's life, but he did not withhold 22:52 His only son to save this world, 22:55 the one lost sheep. We, who on this 22:58 fallen rebellion planet, for whom Jesus died, 23:01 that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness 23:05 by whose stripes we are healed. 23:08 Psalm 36:7 says it like this, How excellent is thy 23:13 loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children 23:16 of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 23:21 We are told that the angelic host watched 23:24 in wonder and amazement, this unfolding 23:26 of this trial of faith. In their minds, 23:29 in the minds of the angels the plan of redemption 23:31 became clearer and shone brighter, lighting up 23:34 the path to the cross. Jehovah-jireh 23:37 is the God who took upon himself a responsibility 23:41 for your and my salvation. Jesus stands at the 23:46 turning point of eternity, he's waiting 23:49 for one word from His Father that this was not 23:52 His cup to bear. The unfathomable burden 23:55 of the sins of humanity is nearly crushing out 23:58 the very life from His soul and He hasn't yet 24:01 been to the cross. He hasn't yet experienced 24:03 the pain from the crown of thorns as they are pushed 24:06 ruthlessly into His brow, or suffered the beatings 24:09 and the nails, that were driven 24:10 through his hands and feet. As Jesus falls 24:14 to the ground, large drops of blood fall 24:18 from His face. He clings to the cold, 24:21 dark earth as if somehow, somehow 24:24 it can keep Him from being torn from His Father's love. 24:29 He feels the separation that is caused by the sins 24:32 that you and I have committed and a vast, 24:34 dark gulf begins to separate Him from His Father's love. 24:40 He now realizes the wrath that God 24:42 has against those who reject His call to mercy. 24:46 At this pivotal point, at this pivotal point and time, 24:50 with all of our destinies hanging in the balance, 24:52 He decides to take the penalty and to die in your place. 24:58 He knows He loves us so much that, if necessary, 25:02 He will choose to be forever separated from the One 25:06 with whom He has never been apart. 25:08 All this, all this, so you and I could have the opportunity 25:13 to have eternal life. He could have called 25:16 ten thousand angels, but He doesn't. 25:19 In order to save those who have no power to save themselves, 25:23 He stood in our place so that one day we could stand 25:27 with Him in His. He was wounded 25:30 for our transgressions, he was bruised 25:33 for our iniquities: the chastisement of 25:35 our peace was upon him; and with his stripes 25:38 we are healed. Jesus took our stripes, 25:43 so we could be healed by His stripes. 25:47 Jehovah-jireh is the God who provided himself 25:54 to be our sacrifice. The God who provided himself, 25:59 the God who gave his own life for you is the one 26:03 you can trust. The question you must ask, 26:07 the question I must ask is this. 26:09 Will we receive his love? Will we allow it to shine 26:13 into the darkest corners of our hearts and minds? 26:15 And will I allow Him to redeem me 26:17 from the curse and power of sin? 26:21 I believe that those who will go through 26:22 the end of time and who will stand 26:24 before the universe and angels, 26:26 testifying of God's power to save. 26:28 Even the chief of sinners will know Jesus 26:31 as a personal savior and a trusted friend. 26:34 He will not only be the God they serve, 26:38 he will be the one they love so much 26:40 that they will be willing to lay down their lives for him. 26:44 John 15:13 says it like this, Greater love 26:49 hath no man than this, than a man to 26:53 lay down his life for his friends. 26:57 The one who laid down his life for you, 26:59 is a God you can trust. Trust his heart 27:05 when storms will sail you. Trust his heart 27:09 when others fail you. Trust his heart 27:12 though dark days gather. Trust his heart 27:16 when nothing seems to matter. Trust his heart, 27:20 for he is faithful. Trust his heart 27:23 for God is able. Jehovah-jireh 27:29 is the God who says, Trust in the Lord 27:32 with all thy heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. 27:36 In all thy ways acknowledge him, 27:39 and he shall direct thy paths. God wants to direct you 27:44 to his heart of infinite love. Today, God is calling you 27:49 to place all your hopes, your plans, 27:51 your dreams in him, won't you trust him today? |
Revised 2014-12-17