How much do we trust God? Do we trust Him in every situation, or only in some? Can we trust Him with our lives? Would we trust Him even if He took our life or the life of someone we love?
I. Introduction
A. Trust can be defined as: a firm belief in another's honesty, ability or integrity.
1. Trust means that you believe that someone will do exactly what he says he will do, no matter what.
2. Trust means that doubt about another person never even enters your mind.
B. Many think that they have a deep trust because they obey God.
1. But that is not trust; that is obedience.
2. It is easier to obey God than to trust Him.
3. We can blindly obey someone because we think its the right thing to do…
4. But we trust someone because we believe in Him.
C. The example of Peter.
1. He thought that He trusted Christ; but he denied his Lord 3 times in one night.
2. And he wept bitterly because of it.
3. His trust wasn't based upon a true belief; it was based upon emotion.
D. Job's trust in God was not based upon emotion.
1. It was based upon a complete belief in God as the One who knew what was best for him in all situations.
2. It was based upon a complete belief that whatever God put into his life, God was still to be trusted.
3. Job uttered these classic words after he had gone through the worst testing that anyone has possibly gone through.
(Job 13:15) "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him."
4. He said this while everyone else told him to curse God and die!
II. Trusting God Boils Down To Whether We Believe What He Says Is True Or Not.
A. How do we know that we can trust God?
1. Because what He has said in the past has come to pass.
2. We have seen prophecy fulfilled exactly as God has said it would.
3. We know that His Word is trustworthy, we can count on Him.
(Psa 9:10) "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee."
(Psa 33:4) "For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth."
4. We see that others have trusted God before us.
5. Men have gladly laid down their lives, they have faced torture and pain; they have lost their homes and families.
B. The early church was persecuted and hunted down because of their faith.
1. In other countries this continues today.
2. They really have to have trust in God.
3. We know very little of real persecution for our faith.
C. The one thing that God has said that is the hardest to believe…
1. That we will continue to live on after death.
2. To really believe this is the supreme test of whether we trust Him or not.
3. We all have to face death, but do we all truly believe that we will live again?
4. God has said yes, but do we trust Him enough to believe it without doubt?
5. That is where faith comes in.
6. Do we trust Him enough to put our lives in His hands?
a. Eternity is not the question…
b. The question is will we spend eternity with God in heaven…
c. Or will we be separated from God and tormented for all eternity in the lake of fire?
d. That is determined by our trust in God and His Word today…
e. Do we trust Him for our salvation?
7. If you have never placed your trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary, we invite you to do so today!
III. Trusting God Does Not Always Mean That We Will Understand What He Is Doing, Or Why He Is Doing It.
A. This is the real hard part!
1. This is where faith and trust have to operate at their highest level!
2. When all of the sudden everything in our life starts going bad, we begin to wonder where God is at!
3. We wonder if He has forgotten about us, or if He still cares about us.
4. When all of our best laid plans go bad, we wonder why God would allow this to happen to us!
5. We may even get mad at God.
B. Sometimes Christians it seems that we suffer more than unbelievers.
1. But God doesn't always operate the way that we think.
2. Our parents didn't always do things our way when we were children.
3. But we can't let that keep us from trusting God!
4. He knows best! He knows the future, we don't!
(Isa 46:10) "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"
C. Trusting God Is Not Based On Whether He Gives Us Everything That We Ask For.
1. Selfishness doesn't produce trust.
2. How many people have you known that have said something like this:
3. "I asked God for something, and he didn't give it to one, therefore I cant trust Him."
4. This is a very selfish motive.
5. And this will never develop trust in God, only fear.
D. The example of Paul
1. The Apostle Paul, who had a very legitimate request of God.
2. He asked God to heal him.
3. God said no.
4. Did Paul stop trusting in God because He wouldn't heal him? No.
5. He accepted the fact that God had another plan for him.
6. He accepted the fact that God knew what was best for Paul.
E. How do we develop a deep trust in God?
1. How do we get to the place where Job was where he could say, "Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him?"
2. He had a relationship with God.
a. A real relationship.
b. Not just one day a week, but 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
c. He drew close to God.
3. We won't trust a stranger…
a. God doesn't want to be a stranger to any of us.
b. He desires for us to have a personal relationship with Him.
c. The more we know God, the more we will find Him faithful, and the more we will trust Him.
d. This was Job's secret: He knew God.
Do we know Him? Do we trust Him? For our salvation? For our daily needs? For everything?