Unmoveable
Notes
Transcript
Read: Psalm 125:1
Read: Psalm 125:1
1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, Which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
Thomas Merton wrote in his book The Love of Solitude these next few lines that has become known as Merton’s Prayer
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.1
1 Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, Third Edition. (New York; London: Burns & Oates, 1997), 81.
Did you catch the trust in God. It is in reality a reckless abandonment of everything to God.
I love that last two lines:
“Therefore I will trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
I have read books about those who have been martyred, persecuted, suffered for the cause of Christ and have often been concerned and questioned myself - would I, could I be that strong?
Richard Wurmbrand’s wife could hardly stand for any period of time due to the torture and suffering she had to endure because she was a Christian and wouldn’t give up her testimony for Christ.
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1106 Pliny’s Testimony
Pliny, governor of Bithynia, wrote Trajan the Emperor regarding how he flushed out Christians in his area: “I gave these men chance to invoke the gods of Rome, offer sacrifice to the image of the Emperor, and finally to curse the name of Christ,” adding “none of these acts, those who are really Christians can be forced to do.”
I mentioned Wurmbrand a moment ago - he writes in one place:
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 2294 Giving Last Slice of Bread
“I have seen Christians in communist prisons with 50 pounds of chains on their feet, tortured with red-hot iron pokers, in whose throats spoonfuls of salt had been forced, being kept afterward without water, starving, whipped, suffering from cold, and praying with fervor for the communists.… Afterward, the communists came to prison too.
“Now the tortured and the torturers were in the same cell. And while the non-Christians beat them (torturers), Christians took their defense. I have seen Christians giving away their last slice of bread (we had at that time one slice a week) and the medicine which could save their lives to a sick communist torturer who was now a fellow-prisoner.”
—Wurmbrand
Have you ever wondered what made these people endure, and go through such things and still maintain their testimony for Christ?
It wasn’t due to being strong willed - believe me they are trained on how to break the human spirit and will.
It’s not because they were trained on how to suffer - spy agencies do a great job at teaching their agents on how to go through terrible things without giving up secrets - but no that’s not even how they made it through -
It’s a small five letter word TRUST
I’ve often heard it said: “Trust is earned not given” and we are living in a day when trust is at an all time low.
US Experiencing Record-Breaking Drop in Trust
Edelman, a leading global communications marketing firm, publishes a yearly "Trust Barometer" report. A recent report (2018) shows a plummet in trust across the United States. Here's a summary of the report:
Trust in the US has suffered the largest-ever-recorded drop in the survey's history among the general population. Trust among the general population fell nine points to 43 percent, placing it in the lower quarter of the 28-country Trust Index.The collapse of trust in the US is driven by a staggering lack of faith in government, which fell 14 points to 33 percent.The remaining institutions of business, media, and NGOs also experienced declines of 10 to 20 points."The United States is enduring an unprecedented crisis of trust," said Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman. "This is the first time that a massive drop in trust has not been linked to a pressing economic issue or catastrophe … In fact, it's the ultimate irony that it's happening at a time of prosperity, with the stock market and employment rates in the US at record highs."
Source: Cision PR Newswire, "2018 Edelman Trust Barometer Reveals Record-Breaking Drop in Trust in the U.S." (1-21-18)
Sarah E. Brown has defined Trust by an acronym.
T= Turning over every aspect of my life to God
R = Realizing that He already has a perfect plan for me
U = Understanding that I may not always understand!
S = Seeking His will every step of the way.
T = Thanking Him [I would add ‘even’] when things don’t turn out as expected.
The Psalmist make a powerful claim:
1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, Which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
Trusting in the LORD causes someone to as a mountain “which cannot be removed”
Paul talks about some of the suffering he encountered in his preaching and teaching in Acts 20. “With many tears and temptations.. but he comes down to Acts 20:24 and says, “But none of these things move me...”
I am like a mountain - I can’t be moved - not because I am stubborn, or brainwashed, but because I trust in the Living God who will bring glory to His name no matter what I encounter.
Paul later instructs the church at Corinth to be “steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Paul is saying you can be steadfast and unmoveable - because your trust is in the LORD.
Tonight your choices of trust determine your future actions and behavior.
If you trust is invested solely in a person - they will fail and let you down and then what?
If your trust is invested in a particular form of government or economic system when that fails you will too.
If your trust is invested is place completely in God you will be like a mountain that will not move.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.
The songwriter said:
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His word;
Just to rest upon His promise;
Just to know, Thus saith the Lord.
Have you done that? Placed all your hope and trust in Him?