Sermon

Trust the LORD, Distrust Yourself

Trinity Cambridge Church

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  1. In Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 1 to 12.

    Proverbs 3:1–12

  2. My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments.

  3. For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

  4. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you.

  5. Bind them around your neck.

  6. Write them on the tablet of your heart,

  7. so you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

  8. Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

  9. and do not lean on your own understanding.

  10. In all your ways acknowledge Him,

  11. and He will make straight your paths.

  12. Be not wise in your own eyes.

  13. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

  14. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

  15. Honor the Lord with your wealth,

  16. and with the firstfruits of all your produce.

  17. Then your barns will be filled with plenty,

  18. and your vats will be bursting with wine.

  19. My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline,

  20. or be weary of His reproof.

  21. For the Lord reproves Him whom He loves,

  22. as a father, the son in whom He delights.

  23. This is God's holy and authoritative word.

  24. Most of you, like I do, probably know a health guru or two.

  25. The person who keeps up with all the health fads,

  26. experimented with the alkaline diet,

  27. the gluten-free diet, the vegan diet,

  28. paleo diet, the Whole30 diet,

  29. the Mediterranean diet, Atkins diet,

  30. keto diet, I don't even know what half of these are.

  31. The person who keeps up with all the exercise fads,

  32. I think this is probably before most of us,

  33. but Taibo, right?

  34. P90X, Insanity, Barefoot Running.

  35. Remember those Vibrams?

  36. Zumba, Yoga, Spinning, or CrossFit.

  37. Most of you also probably know a productivity guru or two.

  38. The person that reads all the self-help books

  39. and eagerly applies all the productivity tips

  40. to ensure success and happiness in their life.

  41. Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking.

  42. David Allen's Getting Things Done.

  43. Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

  44. Or Marie Kondo's Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

  45. Certainly not underselling it, right?

  46. Life-changing magic.

  47. I mention all these to show you

  48. that people are generally very interested

  49. in health and well-being,

  50. in happiness and success.

  51. Now what if I told you

  52. that I have discovered something

  53. that will increase your length of days and years of life

  54. and fill your life with peace?

  55. Something that will give you favor and good success

  56. with both God and man.

  57. And if you believed me

  58. when I told you that,

  59. you would do everything in your power

  60. to acquire that very thing.

  61. And that's precisely what

  62. this passage of Scripture offers,

  63. although

  64. I will qualify and explain that as we go.

  65. It teaches us that

  66. we should trust the Lord fully

  67. and distrust ourselves.

  68. That's the main point of this passage.

  69. We should trust the Lord

  70. and distrust ourselves.

  71. First, in the first half,

  72. there's an exhortation to trust in the Lord.

  73. In the second half,

  74. it gives us specific examples

  75. of trust in the Lord,

  76. what that looks like.

  77. It begins in verses 1 and 2 this way.

  78. These first two verses

  79. set the pattern

  80. that the rest of this passage will follow.

  81. The odd number of verses

  82. contain the commands

  83. that we have to follow,

  84. the commands of God.

  85. The even number of verses

  86. contain the consequences,

  87. the rewards that will follow

  88. if we obey God's commands.

  89. And as I said two weeks ago,

  90. the son that is in view here,

  91. that's being addressed here,

  92. is not a specific individual,

  93. but a generic category

  94. that includes all of God's people.

  95. In fact, in Exodus 4, verse 22,

    Exodus 4:22

  96. God explicitly calls

  97. the nation of Israel,

  98. his chosen people,

  99. my firstborn son.

  100. So God reveals himself

  101. to his people as father

  102. and calls his people his children.

  103. And so this is,

  104. and this is partly why

  105. God takes paternal relationships

  106. so seriously

  107. because our earthly fathers

  108. are meant to be representatives

  109. of our heavenly father

  110. to their children.

  111. And so scripture repeatedly

  112. places a premium

  113. on the responsibility

  114. of parents

  115. to rear their children

  116. in the instruction

  117. and discipline of the Lord.

  118. And that's why Proverbs

  119. assumes this parental voice

  120. and perspective

  121. when it says,

  122. for example,

  123. in chapter 1, verse 8,

  124. hear my son,

  125. your father's instruction

  126. and forsake not

  127. your mother's teaching.

  128. And if we do not forget

  129. our father's teaching

  130. but let our heart

  131. keep his commandments,

  132. that's the command,

  133. then our keeping

  134. of these commandments

  135. will lead to this.

  136. It will add to us

  137. length of days

  138. and years of life

  139. and peace.

  140. That's the consequence.

  141. That's very similar

  142. to the fifth

  143. of the Ten Commandments

  144. which Paul quotes

  145. in Ephesians chapter 6,

    Ephesians 6:1–4

  146. verses 1 to 4.

  147. Children,

  148. obey your parents

  149. and the Lord

  150. for this is right.

  151. Honor your father

  152. and mother.

  153. This is the first commandment

  154. with a promise

  155. that it may go well

  156. with you

  157. and that you may live

  158. long in the land.

  159. Fathers,

  160. do not provoke

  161. your children to anger

  162. but bring them up

  163. in the discipline

  164. and instruction

  165. of the Lord.

  166. Because God intended

  167. our parents

  168. to function

  169. as his representatives

  170. and messengers,

  171. he expected us

  172. to honor our parents

  173. and to heed

  174. their teaching,

  175. their words.

  176. And when our parents

  177. bring us up

  178. in the instruction

  179. and discipline

  180. of the Lord

  181. and we honor them

  182. and heed their words,

  183. then it would go well

  184. with us

  185. because we'll be following

  186. God's words

  187. and we would live

  188. long in the land.

  189. Verses 3 to 4

  190. continue this exhortation.

  191. Let not steadfast love

  192. and faithfulness

  193. forsake you.

  194. Bind them around your neck.

  195. Write them on the tablet

  196. of your heart

  197. so you will find favor

  198. and good success

  199. in the sight of God

  200. and man.

  201. Steadfast love

  202. and faithfulness

  203. in verse 3.

  204. It's parallel to

  205. the Father's teaching

  206. and commandments

  207. in verse 1.

  208. So these two attributes,

  209. steadfast love

  210. and faithfulness,

  211. sum up the Father's

  212. ethical teaching.

  213. This is what your life

  214. should look like.

  215. This is how you should live.

  216. And it's not a coincidence

  217. that steadfast love

  218. and faithfulness

  219. are frequently paired

  220. throughout Scripture

  221. to sum up

  222. the attributes of God.

  223. When God reveals himself

  224. to Moses

  225. in Exodus chapter 34,

    Exodus 34 chapter mention

  226. he describes himself

  227. as abounding

  228. in steadfast love

  229. and faithfulness.

  230. His steadfast love

  231. means he is not fickle.

  232. His love for us

  233. doesn't fluctuate.

  234. He loves us

  235. with an unchanging,

  236. covenantal love.

  237. He's loyal to us.

  238. God's also faithful.

  239. The word behind faithfulness,

  240. the Hebrew word

  241. behind faithfulness

  242. is sometimes translated

  243. as truth.

  244. It's a reference

  245. to God's faithfulness

  246. to his character.

  247. He's true to himself.

  248. He does not deviate

  249. from who he is.

  250. He's not contingent

  251. on changing circumstances

  252. or moods.

  253. He's the same yesterday,

  254. today, and forever.

  255. He's always faithful

  256. and true.

  257. That's what faithfulness means.

  258. As 2 Timothy 2.13 says,

  259. If we are faithless,

  260. he remains faithful

  261. for he cannot deny himself.

  262. That's who he is.

  263. It was God's steadfast love

  264. and faithfulness

  265. that assured God's people

  266. of his enduring

  267. commitment to them.

  268. And so then,

  269. when Proverbs 3.3 tells us,

  270. Let not steadfast love

  271. and faithfulness forsake you,

  272. it's telling us

  273. that as objects

  274. of God's steadfast love

  275. and faithfulness,

  276. we should be characterized

  277. by steadfast love

  278. and faithfulness.

  279. We should reciprocate

  280. what God has done for us,

  281. given to us.

  282. It's referring to

  283. keeping our end

  284. of our covenant relationship

  285. with God,

  286. our obligations,

  287. our responsibilities.

  288. Psalm 26 describes it this way,

  289. To live with steadfast love

  290. and faithfulness,

  291. then it's to live

  292. trusting the Lord

  293. without wavering.

  294. It's a life of faith.

  295. That's what it means

  296. to put on steadfast love

  297. and faithfulness.

  298. Like a wedding ring

  299. that you never take off,

  300. as God's people,

  301. we are to keep

  302. steadfast love

  303. and faithfulness

  304. near our hearts always.

  305. Wear it always.

  306. Engrave it

  307. on the tablet of our hearts.

  308. And so then,

  309. steadfast love

  310. and faithfulness,

  311. they're not some generic,

  312. a-religious,

  313. moral qualities

  314. that anyone can follow.

  315. These are profoundly

  316. religious attributes.

  317. One cannot live

  318. with steadfast love

  319. and faithfulness

  320. without faith in God.

  321. This is confirmed

  322. by verses 5 to 6.

  323. It says,

  324. Trust in the Lord

  325. with all your heart

  326. and do not lean

  327. on your own understanding.

  328. In all your ways,

  329. acknowledge Him

  330. and He will make straight

  331. your paths.

  332. Notice the repetition

  333. of the word all.

  334. The command to trust

  335. in the Lord

  336. with all your heart

  337. requires exclusivity.

  338. We are not to be divided

  339. in our allegiance to Him.

  340. We are not to serve

  341. other lords

  342. or to be devoted

  343. to other masters.

  344. Rather,

  345. we are to trust in God

  346. with all of our heart.

  347. And likewise,

  348. we are to acknowledge God

  349. in all our ways.

  350. That implies

  351. not just that

  352. our commitment to God

  353. is exclusive,

  354. but that it's also

  355. exhaustive.

  356. It's comprehensive.

  357. There's nothing

  358. that it doesn't touch.

  359. Everything in life

  360. is supposed to be filtered

  361. through our devotion

  362. to God,

  363. our allegiance to Him.

  364. So do you trust

  365. in the Lord

  366. with all your heart

  367. or do you trust Him

  368. with half your heart?

  369. Or do you not

  370. trust Him at all?

  371. Is there something

  372. or someone else

  373. that you trust?

  374. Do you lean

  375. on your own understanding?

  376. There's so many

  377. self-help tips out there

  378. along the lines of

  379. trust yourself,

  380. believe in yourself,

  381. bet on yourself.

  382. But this is prideful

  383. and self-serving advice

  384. that's unbecoming

  385. of the Christian.

  386. We are commanded here

  387. to trust in the Lord

  388. and distrust ourselves.

  389. There are too many

  390. people in the world

  391. that think they know

  392. exactly what they are doing

  393. and what everyone else

  394. should be doing.

  395. Leaning on our own

  396. understanding

  397. is like leaning

  398. on a broken crutch.

  399. We should instead

  400. trust in the Lord

  401. with all of our heart.

  402. So let me ask you,

  403. what drives your decisions

  404. and actions?

  405. Is it the Word of God

  406. or is it your own will?

  407. Are you shaped

  408. by the teachings

  409. of God's Word

  410. or are you shaped

  411. more by your own desires,

  412. your impulses,

  413. your experiences,

  414. your past,

  415. and your feelings?

  416. What is the key

  417. or the legend

  418. that you use

  419. in your life

  420. to determine

  421. what is true or false,

  422. what is right or wrong,

  423. what is good or bad,

  424. what is beautiful or ugly?

  425. What is the key

  426. that you use

  427. to determine those things?

  428. We can't assume

  429. that human reason

  430. or intuition

  431. or conscience

  432. can bring people together

  433. and be consistent

  434. and reliable.

  435. They are not.

  436. All of those things

  437. are shaped by our personal

  438. and cultural context.

  439. People's reasoning

  440. is often very

  441. and demonstrably unreasonable.

  442. People's intuitions

  443. and consciences

  444. frequently misfire.

  445. That means our reasoning

  446. needs to be sanctified

  447. by God's Word

  448. and our intuitions

  449. and consciences too

  450. must be calibrated

  451. according to

  452. the Word of God.

  453. As Paul writes

  454. in 2 Corinthians 10, 5,

  455. we destroy arguments

  456. and every lofty opinion

  457. raised against

  458. the knowledge of God

  459. and take every thought

  460. captive

  461. to obey Christ.

  462. So do you filter

  463. every thought,

  464. every idea

  465. through the Word of God?

  466. Do you dare

  467. to risk yourself,

  468. your life,

  469. to believe

  470. and obey

  471. everything

  472. that God's Word

  473. teaches

  474. in every area

  475. of your life?

  476. I'd love

  477. for our church

  478. to get in the habit

  479. of asking ourselves,

  480. is this thought

  481. or is this idea

  482. corroborated

  483. or contradicted

  484. by a passage

  485. in Scripture?

  486. And God's Word

  487. is bound

  488. to challenge us

  489. from time to time,

  490. perhaps

  491. more frequently

  492. for some of us

  493. than others.

  494. Why?

  495. Because God is God

  496. and we are not.

  497. If God

  498. always agrees

  499. with us,

  500. as one preacher

  501. said,

  502. we probably

  503. created God

  504. in our own image.

  505. He's just

  506. an idealization

  507. of our own desires,

  508. not God.

  509. And we should

  510. get in the habit

  511. of testing

  512. our decisions

  513. and actions

  514. by the Word of God

  515. as well.

  516. We should cultivate

  517. a functional

  518. dependence on God

  519. in our day-to-day life.

  520. And we can't

  521. assume that just

  522. because we've been

  523. a Christian

  524. for some time

  525. that this is

  526. something we're

  527. already doing.

  528. There are people

  529. who have been

  530. Christians for decades

  531. who trust in the Lord

  532. theoretically

  533. but do not

  534. trust Him

  535. functionally.

  536. They rely

  537. on their own

  538. understanding

  539. in the way

  540. they actually live.

  541. To illustrate,

  542. many of us,

  543. many of you

  544. are diligent

  545. in your life

  546. and perhaps

  547. not consciously

  548. but subconsciously

  549. you live

  550. with the mantra,

  551. God helps

  552. those who

  553. help themselves.

  554. But that's

  555. the indifferent

  556. and really

  557. distant God

  558. of deism

  559. that's not

  560. speaking of

  561. the loving

  562. and personally

  563. present God

  564. of Christianity.

  565. By this,

  566. I don't mean

  567. that God

  568. doesn't use means.

  569. I don't mean

  570. that we should

  571. passively resign

  572. ourselves

  573. to whatever

  574. happens.

  575. The book

  576. of Proverbs

  577. leaves no room

  578. for passivity

  579. or laziness

  580. on our part.

  581. But too many

  582. of us

  583. use our

  584. diligence

  585. and busyness

  586. to mask

  587. our lack

  588. of faith

  589. in God.

  590. We use

  591. the fact

  592. that God

  593. holds us

  594. humans

  595. responsible

  596. for our

  597. decisions

  598. and actions

  599. as an excuse

  600. for distrusting

  601. divine sovereignty.

  602. I think

  603. that's why

  604. we love

  605. this often

  606. told parable.

  607. I'm sure

  608. you've heard

  609. it.

  610. I don't

  611. know if

  612. it's a joke

  613. or a parable.

  614. A fellow

  615. was apparently

  616. stuck on a

  617. stranded

  618. on a rooftop

  619. because there

  620. was a flood

  621. and he

  622. prayed to God

  623. for help.

  624. God,

  625. please come

  626. and rescue

  627. me.

  628. I have

  629. faith.

  630. I'm relying

  631. on you.

  632. And so

  633. God sent

  634. or

  635. I already

  636. blew the

  637. joke.

  638. So a

  639. rowboat

  640. comes around

  641. and offers

  642. to give him

  643. a ride.

  644. He says,

  645. hey,

  646. come,

  647. jump in.

  648. I'll help

  649. you.

  650. And then

  651. the guy

  652. goes,

  653. no,

  654. no,

  655. no,

  656. no.

  657. I've

  658. been

  659. praying

  660. to God.

  661. I have

  662. faith.

  663. I'll

  664. wait.

  665. And then

  666. later a

  667. motorboat

  668. comes by

  669. and says,

  670. hey,

  671. jump in.

  672. Let me

  673. get you

  674. out of

  675. the flood.

  676. And he

  677. says,

  678. no,

  679. I've

  680. been

  681. praying

  682. to God.

  683. I'm

  684. just

  685. going

  686. to

  687. wait.

  688. I

  689. have

  690. faith.

  691. And

  692. then

  693. finally a

  694. helicopter

  695. comes.

  696. He's

  697. literally

  698. about to

  699. sink.

  700. And the

  701. helicopter

  702. comes and

  703. says,

  704. come on,

  705. climb onto

  706. this ladder

  707. and I'll

  708. rescue you.

  709. And then

  710. he says,

  711. I have

  712. faith.

  713. I'm not

  714. going to go.

  715. And of

  716. course,

  717. he dies.

  718. He drowns.

  719. And then

  720. he goes

  721. to heaven

  722. because he

  723. did have

  724. faith.

  725. And he

  726. asks God,

  727. he brings

  728. God to

  729. task.

  730. God,

  731. I

  732. prayed

  733. with

  734. faith.

  735. Why did

  736. you not

  737. come to

  738. rescue me

  739. and leave

  740. me to

  741. die

  742. stranded

  743. in the

  744. flood?

  745. And

  746. then

  747. God

  748. replied,

  749. I

  750. sent

  751. you

  752. a

  753. rowboat

  754. and a

  755. motorboat

  756. and a

  757. helicopter.

  758. What

  759. more did

  760. you expect?

  761. God

  762. does

  763. use

  764. means.

  765. I'm

  766. not

  767. denying

  768. that.

  769. God

  770. often

  771. uses

  772. people.

  773. He

  774. often

  775. uses

  776. you.

  777. But

  778. this

  779. does

  780. not

  781. mean

  782. then

  783. that

  784. the

  785. man

  786. stranded

  787. in

  788. the

  789. flood

  790. should

  791. have

  792. swum

  793. frantically

  794. trying to

  795. save

  796. himself

  797. without

  798. any

  799. recourse

  800. to God

  801. without

  802. any

  803. reliance

  804. on God.

  805. That's

  806. not what

  807. it looks

  808. like to

  809. live a

  810. life of

  811. faith.

  812. There

  813. is an

  814. important

  815. difference

  816. between

  817. trusting God

  818. to provide

  819. through people

  820. and trusting

  821. people in

  822. the place

  823. of God.

  824. God

  825. to

  826. trust

  827. to

  828. use

  829. you

  830. and

  831. trusting

  832. yourself.

  833. A

  834. big

  835. difference.

  836. A

  837. telltale

  838. sign

  839. of whether

  840. or not

  841. you're

  842. trusting

  843. God

  844. is the

  845. vibrancy

  846. of your

  847. prayer

  848. life.

  849. Is

  850. prayer

  851. an

  852. optional

  853. thing

  854. that you

  855. tag

  856. on to

  857. the

  858. indispensable

  859. work

  860. that you

  861. do

  862. with

  863. your

  864. own

  865. hands?

  866. Or

  867. is

  868. prayer

  869. an

  870. indispensable

  871. work

  872. that

  873. calls

  874. upon

  875. God's

  876. indispensable

  877. work

  878. to bear

  879. on your

  880. life?

  881. Do you

  882. have a

  883. habit of

  884. taking things

  885. into your

  886. own hands?

  887. Verse

  888. 6 is

  889. in all

  890. your ways

  891. acknowledge

  892. him

  893. and he

  894. will make

  895. straight

  896. your paths.

  897. It doesn't

  898. say pave

  899. your own

  900. way.

  901. It doesn't

  902. say forge

  903. your own

  904. path.

  905. It says

  906. depend

  907. on God,

  908. acknowledge

  909. God,

  910. submit

  911. to his

  912. authority,

  913. align

  914. yourselves

  915. to his

  916. purposes

  917. and

  918. priorities

  919. and

  920. then

  921. he

  922. will

  923. smooth

  924. out,

  925. straighten

  926. your

  927. path.

  928. George

  929. Mueller

  930. was a

  931. 19th

  932. century

  933. Christian

  934. minister

  935. famous

  936. for his

  937. life of

  938. radical

  939. dependence

  940. on

  941. God.

  942. When

  943. God

  944. first put

  945. it in

  946. his

  947. heart

  948. to

  949. build

  950. orphanages,

  951. he

  952. had only

  953. two

  954. shillings,

  955. equivalent

  956. to have

  957. 50

  958. cents

  959. in his

  960. pocket.

  961. And he

  962. fundraised

  963. 400,000

  964. pounds,

  965. 7 million

  966. dollar

  967. equivalent,

  968. without

  969. making his

  970. financial needs

  971. known to a

  972. single human

  973. being.

  974. Only by

  975. praying to

  976. God.

  977. In

  978. response to

  979. his prayers

  980. of faith,

  981. people sent

  982. him money,

  983. left and

  984. right,

  985. God

  986. even though

  987. he never

  988. asked anyone,

  989. never told anyone of the need.

  990. So he founded and directed the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol,

  991. England and cared for over 10,000 orphans during his lifetime.

  992. He established 117 schools that offered Christian education to more than 120,000 people.

  993. And in his autobiography, Mueller writes about how he learned to trust God so completely.

  994. Quote,

  995. when a trial of faith comes, we are naturally inclined to distrust God and to trust in ourselves, in our friends, or in circumstances.

  996. We would rather work a deliverance of our own than simply look to God and wait for his help.

  997. But if we do not patiently wait for God's help, or if we work a deliverance of our own, then at the next trial of our faith, we will have the same problem.

  998. We will again be inclined to try and deliver ourselves.

  999. With every fresh trial, our faith will decrease.

  1000. On the contrary, if we stand firm in order to see the salvation of God, trusting in him alone, our faith will be increased.

  1001. I know this example makes some of you uncomfortable.

  1002. It should.

  1003. It should.

  1004. I don't think all of us should live as George Mueller did.

  1005. I wish all of us could.

  1006. But I don't think all of us should, because not all of us have George Mueller's faith.

  1007. To do such things without faith is presumption.

  1008. A testing of God, not faith in God.

  1009. But I do think all of us should push the envelope bit by bit every day to become more and more radically dependent on God.

  1010. Is there a way you can be more dependent on God and less dependent on yourself today?

  1011. I can assure you that God can get more things done without our help than you and I can imagine.

  1012. After the general exhortation to trust in the Lord, we are given specific examples of trust in the Lord in the rest of this passage.

  1013. It says in verses 7 to 8,

  1014. Later in Proverbs 26, 12, it says that a person who is wise in his own eyes is worse than a fool.

  1015. There's more hope for a fool than for a person who is wise in his own eyes.

  1016. Why? Because a fool is ignorant, but the man who is wise in his own eyes is ignorant and prideful.

  1017. Confident in his ignorance.

  1018. He's impervious to instruction and correction.

  1019. And the antidote for that, being wise in one's own eyes, is fear of the Lord.

  1020. Because fear of the Lord combines the knowledge of God with humility before God.

  1021. It deals with both our ignorance and our pride.

  1022. To fear the Lord, as I've been saying over this series,

  1023. is to live every waking moment before the presence of, under the authority of, and for the glory of God.

  1024. That's what it means to live in the fear of God.

  1025. It means to live with faith in God and with humility before Him.

  1026. And the fear of God is evidenced in our turning away from evil, it says.

  1027. To turn away is the word that's often rendered, repent.

  1028. Is there a sin in your life that you have not turned away from?

  1029. Sin that you condone, that you hide, that you rationalize?

  1030. Is there a vice that God is calling you to renounce in your life right now,

  1031. that you think God doesn't see or care enough about?

  1032. If you fear the Lord, you would turn from it.

  1033. And that would be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

  1034. Whenever we see promises like this, we ask ourselves,

  1035. is this promise true?

  1036. Or is this just naivete?

  1037. Okay.

  1038. Aren't there plenty of people who fear the Lord,

  1039. that don't have health and healing?

  1040. Proverbs is not unaware that, in some cases, wicked flourish and prosper.

  1041. That's why Proverbs 23, 17 says,

  1042. Let not your heart envy sinners,

  1043. but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.

  1044. The fear of the Lord brings many temporal blessings,

  1045. generally speaking.

  1046. But because we live in a sinful, upside-down world,

  1047. sometimes fearing the Lord and living with the fear of God

  1048. brings injustice and persecution.

  1049. In such cases, we are not to envy sinners,

  1050. but continue in the fear of the Lord,

  1051. trusting that God's justice will ultimately prevail.

  1052. And that there will be eternal blessings.

  1053. Verses 9 to 10 teach us about another way

  1054. in which to trust God practically.

  1055. It says,

  1056. Honor the Lord with your wealth

  1057. and with the firstfruits of all your produce.

  1058. Then your barns will be filled with plenty

  1059. and your vats will be bursting with wine.

  1060. The Hebrew word behind the word honor

  1061. literally means to count as heavy,

  1062. to give weight to someone.

  1063. So then to honor the Lord with your wealth,

  1064. then it's to give weight to God

  1065. in the way you use your money.

  1066. It's very helpful to think about it this way

  1067. because that gets us away from this

  1068. kind of minimum requirement mentality.

  1069. God, how much must I give

  1070. so that I can spend the rest of it for myself?

  1071. What is the requirement?

  1072. I'll do it.

  1073. Just tell me where the line is

  1074. so that I can have this under control

  1075. and live the way I want.

  1076. This command doesn't allow for that.

  1077. Honor the Lord with your wealth.

  1078. God's concerned about the balance of it all,

  1079. the weight of it all.

  1080. Is your budget weighted toward God

  1081. or toward yourself?

  1082. Will someone who looks at your budget say,

  1083. God is counted heavily in this budget?

  1084. Or will the person not even know

  1085. that you believe in God?

  1086. We are to honor the Lord

  1087. with the first fruits of all of our produce,

  1088. he says.

  1089. First fruits refer to the first produce

  1090. of the season

  1091. and the first offspring of one's livestock

  1092. that God's people were expected to bring

  1093. as an offering.

  1094. It's a form of tribute,

  1095. an acknowledgement that we are a people

  1096. under God's authority

  1097. and that all of our blessings

  1098. ultimately come from God.

  1099. And it's the first fruits,

  1100. not leftovers,

  1101. that are required.

  1102. We're not to give God the worst things,

  1103. but the best things.

  1104. We don't merely give what is expendable to us,

  1105. we give what is expensive to us,

  1106. costly to us.

  1107. This is so countercultural

  1108. because in our society,

  1109. we live in a society that trusts in capital,

  1110. not in God's worth,

  1111. not in God.

  1112. The way we use our money

  1113. will often reveal whether or not

  1114. we actually trust God

  1115. to provide for us

  1116. or whether we're trusting ourselves

  1117. to provide for ourselves.

  1118. Job 31 puts it this way,

  1119. verses 24 to 28,

  1120. If I have made gold my trust

  1121. or called fine gold my confidence,

  1122. if I have rejoiced

  1123. because my wealth was abundant

  1124. or because my hand had found much

  1125. and my heart has been secretly enticed

  1126. and my mouth has kissed my hand,

  1127. this also would be an iniquity

  1128. to be punished by the judges,

  1129. for I would have been false to God above.

  1130. To trust in your wealth below

  1131. is to be false to your God above,

  1132. to distrust God.

  1133. Proverbs 18, 10 to 11

  1134. mocks trusting in wealth this way,

  1135. The name of the Lord is a strong tower.

  1136. The righteous man runs into it and is safe.

  1137. A rich man's wealth is his strong city

  1138. and like a high wall in his imagination.

  1139. Your wealth might make you feel safe and secure,

  1140. but it's only an illusion

  1141. because true safety and security

  1142. is found in God alone.

  1143. At any given moment,

  1144. there are billions of possibilities,

  1145. things that can happen to you.

  1146. You think money will protect you from that?

  1147. Certainly, it's possible

  1148. to neglect responsible saving

  1149. in a sinful, ungodly way.

  1150. Spending things we shouldn't be spending,

  1151. indulging in ourselves,

  1152. not being generous.

  1153. But it's also possible

  1154. to save more than we should,

  1155. to compensate for our lack of faith in God

  1156. through saving.

  1157. In the parable of the rich fool

  1158. in Luke 12, 13 to 21,

  1159. Jesus rebukes the rich fool

  1160. who says to himself,

  1161. Soul, you have ample goods

  1162. laid up for many years.

  1163. Relax, eat, drink, be merry.

  1164. God says to him,

  1165. Fool, this night your soul

  1166. is required of you.

  1167. And the things you have prepared,

  1168. whose will they be?

  1169. So is the one who lays up

  1170. treasure for himself

  1171. and is not rich toward God.

  1172. Are you rich toward yourself

  1173. or are you rich toward God?

  1174. Where is the balance of it all?

  1175. Where does the weight of it fall?

  1176. This is not advice you'll hear

  1177. from people in Wall Street.

  1178. They're always talking about

  1179. the risk of living too long,

  1180. the unreliable investment returns,

  1181. the unforeseen medical expenses,

  1182. warning us that you can never

  1183. possibly save enough.

  1184. But if our functional trust

  1185. is in our own ability

  1186. to provide for ourselves

  1187. rather than in God's provision,

  1188. we will never be rich toward God.

  1189. But if we're rich toward God,

  1190. God promises in verse 10,

  1191. then your barns will be filled

  1192. with plenty

  1193. and your vats will be bursting

  1194. with wine.

  1195. That's literally new wine,

  1196. which refers to the first

  1197. drippings of,

  1198. I guess,

  1199. of juice from grapes

  1200. before it's pressed,

  1201. before they're trotted upon

  1202. in the wine press.

  1203. It's the most potent,

  1204. the most delicious part

  1205. of the wine,

  1206. new wine.

  1207. Your vats will overflow

  1208. with this new wine.

  1209. God's not saying,

  1210. God's saying

  1211. he's not going to be stingy with you.

  1212. He's going to give you

  1213. the best affair.

  1214. You're going to have plenty

  1215. to eat and drink.

  1216. Once again,

  1217. Proverbs is not unaware

  1218. that there are exceptions

  1219. to this rule.

  1220. But exceptions do not

  1221. disprove the rule.

  1222. They actually,

  1223. by their very existence,

  1224. prove the rule,

  1225. that it applies

  1226. in all the other circumstances.

  1227. But even if your situation

  1228. is the exception,

  1229. Proverbs 16.8 says,

  1230. Better is a little

  1231. with righteousness

  1232. than great revenues

  1233. with injustice.

  1234. Hold on.

  1235. Continue to fear God

  1236. and live faithfully

  1237. for Him.

  1238. Even when you don't have much,

  1239. trust in God

  1240. and not in your riches.

  1241. And you will ultimately

  1242. be rewarded.

  1243. Heavenly treasure

  1244. will be yours.

  1245. The sage gives us

  1246. one more example

  1247. of trusting God

  1248. in verses 11-12.

  1249. My son,

  1250. do not despise

  1251. the Lord's discipline

  1252. or be weary

  1253. of His reproof.

  1254. For the Lord reproves

  1255. Him whom He loves

  1256. as a father,

  1257. the son in whom

  1258. He delights.

  1259. If you don't trust

  1260. in the Lord,

  1261. you will despise

  1262. His discipline

  1263. and reproof.

  1264. Isn't this true?

  1265. Isn't this how

  1266. our parents raised us?

  1267. Isn't this how

  1268. we raised our parents?

  1269. Raised our parents?

  1270. Raised our children?

  1271. Sorry.

  1272. Please don't try

  1273. to raise your parents.

  1274. This is how

  1275. I treat my kids.

  1276. It seems like

  1277. nowadays,

  1278. parenting is increasingly

  1279. a kind of

  1280. lazy affair.

  1281. Just let them be.

  1282. Let them take

  1283. the course of life.

  1284. let them figure out

  1285. things for themselves.

  1286. Let them discover

  1287. their true selves.

  1288. I don't know

  1289. where that idea

  1290. came from.

  1291. My kids would be

  1292. dead already

  1293. if I let them do that.

  1294. Kids,

  1295. by definition,

  1296. don't know

  1297. what's best for them.

  1298. That's why

  1299. they have parents.

  1300. And parents

  1301. who don't

  1302. discipline

  1303. children

  1304. and teach them

  1305. right from wrong

  1306. that parents

  1307. don't correct

  1308. their misbehaviors

  1309. are not

  1310. being good parents.

  1311. They're neglectful

  1312. parents.

  1313. Likewise,

  1314. God says,

  1315. if you want me

  1316. to care about you,

  1317. if you want me

  1318. to invest in you

  1319. as my child,

  1320. as my son

  1321. and daughter,

  1322. beloved children

  1323. of God,

  1324. I am going to

  1325. be in your life.

  1326. And there will

  1327. be discipline.

  1328. And that's not

  1329. something to dread.

  1330. It's not a sign

  1331. of God's displeasure.

  1332. It's not a sign

  1333. of God's hatred.

  1334. It's a sign

  1335. of God's love.

  1336. God's love.

  1337. But if you don't

  1338. trust in God,

  1339. when your life

  1340. is miserable,

  1341. when things are not

  1342. going the way you want,

  1343. when you're suffering,

  1344. when you're sick,

  1345. when you're not making

  1346. as much money as you want,

  1347. when people are not

  1348. nice to you,

  1349. when all of these

  1350. things happen,

  1351. you're going to

  1352. start to get insecure.

  1353. You're going to

  1354. start to resent God,

  1355. be bitter toward Him,

  1356. because your trust

  1357. was not in the Lord,

  1358. but in your circumstances.

  1359. When we trust

  1360. in the Lord

  1361. and distrust ourselves,

  1362. verse 4 promises,

  1363. you will find favor

  1364. and good success

  1365. in the sight of God

  1366. and man.

  1367. If we are honest

  1368. with ourselves

  1369. in the ultimate sense,

  1370. yeah, sure,

  1371. in a relative sense,

  1372. maybe we are behaving

  1373. properly,

  1374. we're living righteously,

  1375. and we experience

  1376. favor with God

  1377. and man.

  1378. Relatively speaking,

  1379. that may be true,

  1380. but speaking absolutely,

  1381. there's not a single

  1382. person in this room,

  1383. not a single person

  1384. on earth

  1385. that lives

  1386. to deserve

  1387. this favor

  1388. and good success

  1389. in the sight of God

  1390. and man.

  1391. because we have

  1392. all sinned.

  1393. We have all

  1394. failed to trust God.

  1395. But there is

  1396. one man

  1397. that lived

  1398. this way.

  1399. Luke 2,

  1400. chapter 2,

  1401. verse 52

  1402. describes Jesus

  1403. this way.

  1404. It says,

  1405. Jesus increased

  1406. in wisdom

  1407. and in stature

  1408. and in favor

  1409. with God

  1410. and man.

  1411. Jesus trusted

  1412. in God

  1413. his Father

  1414. perfectly

  1415. and he increased

  1416. in favor

  1417. with God

  1418. and man.

  1419. He was the

  1420. obedient

  1421. Son of God

  1422. that conducted

  1423. himself always

  1424. with steadfast love

  1425. and faithfulness.

  1426. He was the one

  1427. that fulfills

  1428. all of these promises.

  1429. His life

  1430. should have

  1431. been characterized

  1432. by longevity,

  1433. health,

  1434. eternal,

  1435. endless riches.

  1436. But he dies

  1437. in poverty,

  1438. in suffering,

  1439. unjustly persecuted

  1440. on a cross.

  1441. What happened

  1442. to your promises,

  1443. God?

  1444. What about

  1445. these Proverbs?

  1446. And here's

  1447. where we find hope.

  1448. Jesus

  1449. is the obedient

  1450. Son

  1451. that's characterized

  1452. in this,

  1453. described in this

  1454. proverb,

  1455. but in order to

  1456. make all of us

  1457. the rebels,

  1458. the disobedient

  1459. children of God,

  1460. sons and daughters

  1461. who have brought

  1462. shame and reproach

  1463. to the face

  1464. of our Father

  1465. in order to bring us

  1466. and reconcile us

  1467. to God,

  1468. in order to give us

  1469. these blessings

  1470. that we have

  1471. cut ourselves up from.

  1472. That's why God

  1473. the Father

  1474. sends His Son

  1475. Jesus to die

  1476. on the cross

  1477. for us.

  1478. That's why

  1479. He hangs

  1480. on that cross

  1481. so that we

  1482. might experience

  1483. these promises.

  1484. Have you

  1485. trusted

  1486. in Jesus

  1487. who fulfills

  1488. this word

  1489. for you?

  1490. Have you

  1491. trusted

  1492. in Jesus

  1493. who fulfills

  1494. this word

  1495. for you?