In Proverbs 3:1-6 we read, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Over the course of the next four weeks it will seem like we’re talking about money, about tithing . . . about stewardship. But that’s a bit disingenuous . . . money is never truly the issue. Money is only an indicator, a symptom of something greater. So while it will seem like we’re talking about money, what we’ll really be talking about is trust.
John Maxwell, an author on Christian leadership and the inspiration behind this sermon series, says this: “Trust is the basis for knowing God and His will for my life and in growing His kingdom and myself as His steward.” That is to say, we must believe in God’s promises, we must put our faith in His ability to fulfill His own Word in order to know Him. And in like manner, He must be able to trust us with what we have been given to manage for Him.
And so the first question we must ask is, “Can I trust God? Where do I place my faith, my confidence? Is God my source—not just my source, but my everything? Do I trust Him in small things, do I trust Him in big things? . . . Do I truly trust God?”
This is not an easy question to answer! Martin Luther used to say that whatever you put your trust in—that is your God. And in a self-reliant society we have many, many things to put our trust in. It is not easy for me to say that I put my total trust in God.
But that’s my problem, not God’s. In spite of my inability to put my total trust in Him, God remains totally trustworthy. He does what He says He will, He follows through on His word. His care is constant . . . His gifts are generous.
Do you believe that? I don’t. Well . . . at least not in the same way that I used to. Let me explain.
You’ve all heard about the most basic of trust tests, right? The one where you stand, blindfolded, arms crossed, back to a friend. And if you truly, truly trust that friend you’ll fall straight back, they’ll catch you, and your trust will be rewarded, right? But is that always the way life works? More importantly . . . is that always the way our life in Christ works? Does trust always equal safety? Does trust always keep you from being hurt?
In this astounding little book The Barbarian Way author Erwin McManus tells a fantastic story about the trust his son put in him. He tells how he and his wife had a two-story house that the rented in Los Angeles for several years. The unique thing about this house was that a small window on the second-story bathroom opened on to a path to the roof. You know kids and their curiosity, so it was no big surprise to Erwin when one evening, as he and his wife were in the front yard, a small voice called out to them from the roof.
“As soon as Kim saw him, her nurturing instinct kicked in, and she started commanding him to get back inside. I have to admit I was kind of proud of him right then, but what he did next totally surprised me.
“Looking past his mom, he asked me if he could jump. When Aaron shouted, “Dad, can I jump?” Kim answered on my behalf, “No, you can’t jump. Get back inside.”
“As if he hadn’t heard anything at all, he asked me again, “Dad, can I jump?”
“Now, I know what I was supposed to do. A dad is never supposed to override the mom (I’m working on it). I’m just telling you what really happened. After all, he did ask me. I answered, “Yeah, go ahead.”
“He said, “Really?”
“I said, “Yeah, sure. Go ahead and jump.”
“Kim looked at me as if I was out of my mind and asked, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“In a sort of explanation I asked Aaron, “Aaron, are you going to jump sometime?”
“He said, “Yeah, I think so.”
“I said, “Okay. I’d rather have you jump now so if you jump and break your legs, we can take you to the hospital.” It made perfect sense to me.
“He responded, “Dad, do you think I’ll make it?”
“I said, Oh, yeah . . . you’ll make it.” If I knew one thing for certain, it was that he would reach the ground. I just wasn’t sure in what condition.
“He said, “Okay. I’m going to jump.”
“I had one suggestion before he took off. I said, “Hey, buddy, try to clear the concrete and land on the grass. It’s softer.”
“He thought that was a good idea, stepped back as far as he could on the roof, and began running to jump. Just before his first step he yelled, “Dad, catch me!” and I said, “I’ll try.”
“And he jumped.”
Have you ever looked God right in the eye, trusting Him to protect you . . . and jumped? Taken a big, sailing leap of faith, right out into midair?
I have. And it hurt.
I’m very thankful for the training I received in seminary. My theological education gave me the knowledge of the right words to say about God and His love. I’m thankful for that because when I arrived here I needed that . . . because I needed to preach it, and I didn’t feel it.
When I arrived here it was on the heels of a dreadful first attempt at ministry. I had taken a leap of faith, going right from the seminary into an attempt at church planting, and partly through my failures and partly through the failures of others the church plant died a messy, tangled death. This is not the time nor is it the place to go into all the details, but let me simply tell you that in going through that process I felt abandoned, that I was left to defend myself before more than one person who wanted to lay all the blame on me. I lost the trust others had put in me and I lost the trust I had put in other people. I now view even the seminary administration—the same people whom I had previously held up as my champions and defenders—I now to this day view them with a sense of guarded distrust.
But the worst part was that I had lost my trust in God . . . I no longer wanted to jump, nor expected Him to catch me. See, I had thought that a “leap of faith” meant that God would always catch me on the other side, that everything would always turn out right, that nothing could hurt me. But I was wrong. I didn’t understand, I didn’t count on the fact that sometimes it is in God’s plan NOT to catch you, but to encourage you to jump anyway! See, deep down God is not ultimately concerned about our comfort, but our confidence in Him! He does not see a few bumps and bruises along the way as being shameful indicators of a failure of faith, but in fact they are badges of honor, scars that demonstrate a life given over to Christ. He does not call us to safety, but to salvation!
Erwin McManus finishes his story this way, “For Aaron, the jump was fraught with danger. I could see, though the jump was terrifying, he would find himself triumphant. It was important that he jumped and perhaps even more important that he knew me as the kind of father who would always call him to greater endeavors than to send him back to the safe place.” It is often the same with God. He desires to call us to greater endeavors, to encourage us to jump.
When I jumped, it hurt. A lot. But I’ve had a lot of time to think about the question, “Knowing what I know now, knowing the price I might have to pay . . . would I do it again?” And the answer is yes. I would do it again. Because it is more important for my kids to see a dad who is serious, who is committed to the cause of Christ, who is willing to take the risk and continue to trust God and continue to jump—that is more important than my comfort! It is more important for me to face God and to say with Job, “Though he slay me . . . yet will I trust Him.”
Though it’s difficult to say I trust in Him . . . and even more difficult to do, God’s trustworthiness far exceeds my ability to understand His methods. The writer of Hebrews, quoting Deuteronomy says, this in Hebrews 13:5-6, “5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” That sounds so nice and safe, doesn’t it?
Yet he also says this in Hebrews 11:32-40, “32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others—Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”
If you are going to trust in God, I can’t promise you a safe life, I can’t promise that you’ll be incredibly wealthy or that you’re going to be well-liked or that your health will always be top-notch. But I can promise you this: God will remain trustworthy through it all. You can lean on Him, you can put the full weight of your burdens on Him . . . you can trust Him . . . you can jump.
You can jump and know that even if you get hurt He is still trustworthy. He will keep His promise to you that He will never leave you nor forsake you . . . even if you doesn’t seem that you can see Him.
How can I tell you this? To have faith—to trust in God’s promises—even when you can’t see how it will turn out? Simply this: because of Christ.
Dr. S.M. Lockridge pastored Calvary Baptist Church of San Diego for forty years. He was called to glory in the year 2000, but he left us with one of the fieriest sermons on trusting God that I’ve ever heard. As we finish up today with the words of Pastor Lockridge, I also want you to remember the words of Saint Paul, who said in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.” We can’t put our trust in money, we can’t put our trust in our job, we can’t put our trust in our own comfort, but we can put our trust in Christ because in Jesus Christ God fulfills every single promise He has ever made. He truly is our Savior.
All the promises of God that Pastor Lockridge speaks of—they are “Yes” in Christ. And as Paul says to do, for each of those promises, let us give an “Amen” for the glory of God.
He's the one who made you; it is He who made us and not we ourselves. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. No means or measure can define His limitless love and no farseeing telescope can bring into visibility the
coastline of His shoreless supply . . . I’m telling you today you can trust Him!
No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing. He's enduringly strong and He's entirely sincere. He's eternally steadfast and He's immortally graceful. He's imperially powerful and He's impartially merciful. He's the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He's God's Son, He's the sinner's Savior, He's the centerpiece of civilization . . . I’m trying to tell you, church, you can trust Him!
He does not have to call for help and you can't confuse Him. He doesn't need you and He doesn't need me. He stands alone in the solitude of Himself. He's august and He's unique. He's unparalleled, He's unprecedented, He's supreme, He's preeminent, He's the loftiest idea in literature, He's the highest personality in philosophy, He's the supreme problem of higher criticism, He's the fundamental doctrine of true theology, He's the cardinal necessity of spiritual religion, He's the miracle of the age, He's the superlative of everything good you can call Him . . . I’m trying to tell you, church, you can trust Him!
He can satisfy all your needs, and He can do it simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak and He's available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He sees. He guards and He guides, He heals the sick, He cleansed the Leper, He forgives sinners, He discharges debtors, He delivers the captives, He defends the feeble, He blesses the young, He regards the aged, He rewards the diligent, He beautifies the meek. . . I’m trying to tell you, church, you can trust Him!
He's the key to knowledge, He's the well spring of wisdom, He's the doorway of deliverance, He's the pathway of peace, He's the roadway of righteousness, He's the highway of holiness, He's the gateway to glory . . . you can trust Him!
He's the master of the mighty, He's the captain of the conquerors, He's the head of heroes, He's the leader of legislators, He's the overseer of the overcomers, He's the governor of the governors, He's the prince of princes, He's the king of kings, He's the Lord of lords . . . you . . . can . . . trust . . . Him!
His office is manifold, His promise is sure, His life is matchless, His goodness is limitless, His mercy is everlasting, His love never changes, His word is enough, His grace is sufficient, His reign is righteous, His yoke is easy, His burden is light, I wish I could describe Him too you, He's indescribable because He's incomprehensible, He's irresistible because He's invincible. You can't get Him off your hands, you can't get Him off your mind, you can't outlive Him and you can't live without Him. The Pharisees couldn't stand it when they found they couldn't stop Him, and Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him. And the witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree and Herod couldn't kill Him, and death couldn't handle Him and thank God the grave couldn't hold Him.
There was nobody before Him and there will be nobody after Him. He has no predecessor, He'll have no successor, you can't impeach Him and He's not going to resign. YOU CAN TRUST HIM!!!
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