Relational Trust I

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Relational

 

Saturday 08/19/17 (early Sunday Service) 

Series: Doers of the Word

Message – Relational Trust I

 

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Relational Trust

It is entirely possible that there are times faith will not come for the specific because we refuse to be persuaded by the general. 

Faith = Relational trust. As in all relationships with those of trustworthy character, our trust grows as our intimacy increases. As we come to know God by experience, we develop a basis for future trust. Therefore, we conclude that faith, or trust is relational.

We’ve seen how Israel had no eyes to see or ears to hear though they saw His works… They would not believe. They knew God from afar, but not intimately…not in a truly relational way as did Moses.

Rom. 10:18-21,

“18  But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “THEIR SOUND HAS GONE OUT TO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.”

 

Deut. 32 – God called them Children in whom is NO faith.

We saw last week the connection between – > knowing, love, faith & obedience.

  • Obedience and faith are held so closely in scripture that at times they are used as substitutionary words for each other.
  • Knowing and believing are held closely together.
    • This “type” of knowing in experiential not academic. God will not be mocked. Because Relational trust is directly connected to knowing Him, one cannot truly be in a position to receive from God if in sincerity and vulnerability they have not drawn near to that which He has caused them to know about Him.
      •  Rom. 1:16-19, “(16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. (17) For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. (18) For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, (19) since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them.“
  • None of these work without love. We are told that love is the energy behind it all.
    • This stands to reason since, unless a human heart responds in brokenness and awe-struck love to the majesty and beauty of God as He has, in His kindness, revealed Himself to every person in the world – there can be no real trust. Faith, becomes effective THROUGH love.
    • It is because because God is relational that He wants to be known.
    • God has revealed His love to us through His Son, and as we believe in and abandon ourselves to His love, it frees us from our need to protect ourselves and releases us to love Him in return with all of our hearts.
    • In this environment of love, trust which is relational in nature is the most natural thing in the world.
    • It is therefore no wonder that both faith and the lack of it were the only two things which astonished Jesus in His earthly walk.
      • The Jewish people who had been pursued, doted on and loved by God had revealed Himself to them in the person of His Son (God so loved the world that He gave…) and yet, the majority of them did not…would not, believe.
      • The Samaritans and Gentiles who were peripheral to these expressions of love, saw Him for Who He was, loved Him and believed in Him with all their hearts.
        • Isaiah 65:1-3, “(1) I was sought by those who did not ask; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said: Here I am, here I am, to a nation that was not called by My name. (2) I spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people who walk in the wrong path, following their own thoughts. (3) These people continually provoke Me to My face, sacrificing in gardens, burning incense on bricks…”
  • Without knowing there can be no love.
  • 1 Cor. 13 tells us without love nothing really matters.
  • Without love there can be no real obedience.
  • Without love genuine faith is replaced by mental ascent or outright doubt.

How do we come to know Him?

Well we saw last week in Romans 1 it begins with the obvious external things of life which speak to God as Creator…

If we are not convinced of and surrender to His love for us we will not be able to love in return and our faith will simply be mental and not real.

Trust is relational and therefore very intuitive… it develops naturally in genuine relationship.

Gal. tells us faith works by love.

Galatians 5:1-9,


“ 1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

 2  Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

 3  And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

 4  You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

 5  For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

 6  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

 7  You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

 8  This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.

 9  A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”

Today we are going to look at some passages and what they teach us concerning faith…

The past as the basis for the moment…

2 Cor. 1:8-11,  

“8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

 9  Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,

 10  who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,

 11  you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.”

Proverbs 3:5,  

“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 shall direct your paths.”

The trusting came BEFORE the direction.

Psalm 18:30, 

“30 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

Psalm 62:1-8,

“1 To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.

 2  He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

 3  How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.

 4  They only consult to cast him down from his high position; They delight in lies; They bless with their mouth, But they curse inwardly. Selah

 5  My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.

 6  He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.

 7  In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.

 8  Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah”

Psalm 9:10,

“10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

Psalms 31:1-24,  

“1 In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.

 2  Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.

 3  For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.

 4  Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength.

 5  Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

 6  I have hated those who regard useless idols; But I trust in the LORD.

 7  I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities,

 8  And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place.

 9  Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body!

 10  For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.

 11  I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me.

 12  I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.

 13  For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.

 14  But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”

 15  My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.

 16  Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake.


 17  Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave.

 18  Let the lying lips be put to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

 19  Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!

 20  You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues.

 21  Blessed be the LORD, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!

 22  For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You.

 23  Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person.

 24  Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.”

Psalms 40,

“1  To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.

 2  He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.

 3  He has put a new song in my mouth- Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

 

(Fear of the Lord)
4  Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

 5  Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.

 6  Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.

 7  Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me.

 8  I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.“

 9  I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know.

 10  I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.

 11  Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

 12  For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me.

 13  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me!

 14  Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Who seek to destroy my life; Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor Who wish me evil.

 15  Let them be confounded because of their shame, Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

 16  Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The LORD be magnified!”

 17  But I am poor and needy; Yet the LORD thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.”

 

We will pick up here next week…Blessings! 

 

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

You have a special place in God’s family & kingdom. If you do not know Him, please use our ‘Contact Us‘ page and reach out so we may have the privilege of introducing you to the Lord. Neither money nor attendance at our church will be mentioned.

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Blessings!

 

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!