October 3, 2021
Evening Service

Have you ever heard the words, “In God We Trust?” This is a phrase that is printed on our monetary currency. It is a foundational statement on which our great country was founded. Originally, the motto of our county was "Out of Many, One" or E pluribus Unum for which I am confident you are familiar. The thirteen letters of E pluribus Unum are significant in symbolizing the original 13 states and the 13 stripes on our US Flag. E pluribus unum, which had been the de facto motto since the initial 1776 design of the Great Seal of the United States. (In law and government, de facto meaning "in fact" describes practices that exist in reality, even though they are not officially recognized by laws. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice). "When each person loves the other as much as himself, it makes one out of many. In 1956, the United States Congress passed an act adopting “In God We Trust” as the official motto of our country; it is also the official motto for the state of Florida. Many groups have opposed the US motto being printed on money and public property, they have tried unsuccessfully to have it removed, inciting a particular clause of the First Amendment being violated. It has resulted in numerous lawsuits, this argument has not overcome the interpretational beliefs, which allows the government to endorse religious establishments as long as they are all treated equally, but yet, 90% of Americans support the inscription on money! So many times in this great nation, we see groups trying to root out God from our land. Most of the time, it is a very small percentage of our nation responsible for removing God from everything. So why is it important to trust in God?

  God is our sole provider of everything we need! He is our strength and our refuge! He is our Holy God worthy of praise and worship. He is our creator and His Spirit indwells within us when we believe in His Son, Jesus as our redeemer. He provides peace for our minds when peace seems to be impossible by human standards. How can we truly believe that trusting in God is right for us and our living? We need only to look for the truth in the Bible.                           Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 

Proverbs 3:6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

We do not have to trust our own instincts for decision making and happiness in this life. The bible clearly says here that we should not trust our own understanding, but to look to God for understanding. If we trust in God for everything in this life, He will make this life bearable and provide peace we cannot fathom. These two scriptures were my mom’s favorite in the whole bible. These scriptures provide comfort for our souls when the trials of life burden us, things may be impossible for us to understand, but God understands them fully. We will encounter many events in our lives leaving us baffled and confused, but God knows the when’s, the how’s, and the why’s! So as we come to these forks in the road that are discouraging to us, and we don’t know what to do or what will happen next, we need to trust in God because He does! We can stand on the fact that he never changes.

Hebrews 13:8  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

Jesus never changes and nor does His power or His promises. He was with God since the beginning of time. He is the same Christ today who transformed lives and performed miracles in the Bible. You can trust in Jesus because the promises He made to His people throughout the Bible are the same promises He makes to you today! “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand”, all other ground is sinking sand. We don’t have to live in fear of bad news and we can be courageous through the Spirit.

Joshua 1:9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Our life is not defined by the circumstances God allows us to go through, but through the character of God Himself. When we fear something unknown to us in our life, we can put our trust in God who knows all things. He will give us the strength and courage to withstand whatever comes our way. The Bible has 63 verses according to E-Sword telling us to not be afraid. God does not worry about anything, He is in control and has all power to do whatever He desires, and He will give us the steadfastness to endure all things when our faith and trust is in Him. We are commanded to not be afraid and to have the courage through the Spirit of God to know He is always with us. God will make the way for us!

Psalms 37:5  Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 

If you give your life to Him, you can be confident, be assured, and at peace, that He will keep up His end of the bargain. God cannot and will not lie, so when He says in His Word, that He will act on your behalf, you can believe Him! If the Word of God says something, this is the truth we as believers in Him stand upon, the Rock of God, the solid ground not like all others. Jesus is the good shepherd and watches over His flock, in His words.....

John 10:14  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 

A good shepherd guides and looks after the sheep in his care. Jesus, the Son of God, is the Good Shepherd, and His followers (us) are His sheep. There is only one God of the universe who created you, He knows what you need and calls you His own. Jesus is a good shepherd; we can count on Him 100% of the time because He is trustworthy. He always knows what’s best for us, even when it’s not easy in this life. To follow Jesus, you need to know Him and listen for Him. As we get to know Him through our prayers, reading the Bible, and being in fellowship with other followers of Jesus, we become able to discern His good voice from other voices. God cares about us and has a plan for our lives.

Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

            God’s will is for us is to know Him through a relationship with Jesus and to love Him and our neighbors as we grow to be more like Jesus, who suffered and died in our place, so we can be redeemed. He promises that no matter what great or miserable circumstances come our way, He will work all of them out and make us more and more like Christ to establish our place in His kingdom. He can rebuild and renew anything that is broken, this also includes all the things that cannot be seen or touched. He is always at work for our betterment of those who love and trust Him. God cares for us and values our love for Him. We should not worry, although the human element in us is sinful and at times rears its ugly head.

Matthew 6:26  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 

Matthew 6:27  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 

Matthew 6:30  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 

God cares for us deeply, we are His creation. He also cares for the animals and plants, but this verse tells us that He is especially concerned with providing us with what we need. When we began worrying about our needs, this is not the answer to meeting them. Trusting in God who cares about the details of our lives is the better strategy for addressing this concern. Verse 6:30 tells us to have faith and trust in God to overcome the worry and doubt. God is our refuge and our sanctuary! This is our safe place to put our trust and confidence.

Psalms 62:8  Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah 

A refuge is a shelter in the storm, or from danger, or pursuit, a place to run to — a place of safety when life is so chaotic and unknown. God tells us we can trust Him and put everything we have and are into His hands, because He is powerful, dependable, and consistent when nothing else seems to be. We can turn to Him for security and protection instead of running to things or to other people. He will never fail us and will keep us. When you know God personally, no worldly harm we suffer can keep us from coming safely into His arms and into His kingdom. Jesus is reassuring when our hearts become troubled.

John 14:1  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 

            Jesus said this to his followers just after He finished telling them something unexpected. He told them He will have to go to a place they cannot follow, but they will follow afterwards. Then Peter questioned why could he not follow and that he would lay down his life for Him. Jesus then told Peter he would deny him three times before the rooster crows. They were surprised by this statement about going to a place they cannot and about Peter’s denial and became worried. But then Jesus assured them and reminded them of who He is. He reminded and encouraged them that their hearts were not to be anxious or troubled because they could believe in Him and His promises, just like they believed in God’s. Nothing Jesus ever said let them down. He is God in the flesh. All that He does comes directly from God. He has proved Himself trustworthy by the testimony of His life and the testimony of His Father who sent Him. He hears us when we pray and when we become concerned about things or issues.

1^st John 5:14  Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

            Trusting in God will increase your confidence in approaching Him. He has always been faithful and will always remain faithful. This verse gives us the reassurance that if you believe what God says is true and you put your trust in Jesus, you have eternal life. This promise is where our confidence and trust has its origin. God’s will for you is to know Him through a relationship with Jesus and to love Him and others as you grow to be more like Jesus. If you are confident that you are His because of a relationship with God through Christ, you can trust that He hears your prayers. There is no need to trust in anything but God; not in any of the other things that can give the illusion of security, like powerful people, jobs, health, and so on. You can trust in God, He is unchanging and never fails; He is a loving and forgiving God.

1^st John 5:11  And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 

            We can trust in God because He does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead, he offers us forgiveness and eternal life through Christ Jesus. The confidence we have is in what Jesus did on the cross, our sin required death. It required a sacrifice, and instead of us dying for and in our sins, Christ took that on Himself, and He paid for our sins. Our faith is in who Jesus is and what He’s done, not in anything we have done or will do. Putting our faith in Jesus does not require good deeds to earn good standing with God. We could never achieve what it takes to be in God’s presence no matter how much humanly good we could do. So a perfect, sinless Savior did what we could not. We can trust in this salvation because it is dependent on something Jesus has already accomplished on Calvary. We can look to the promise of Heaven to be with our Lord and Savior always in His Kingdom.

2^nd Timothy 4:18  And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen! 

            God cares about how we have been wronged. He will take care of us in those times. Do not let the hardships of this life distract you. Keep your eyes on Him. To conclude, In God We Trust because there is not anything else worthy of our trust and devotion to set our lives apart for and to honor wholeheartedly with worship and love!

            Our Father in Heaven we thank you so much for Your great love and care. We know without you we are nothing, and being faithful and trusting you we can live a life that is pleasing to you. Help us to remember to pray for others and ourselves; help us to read and study your Word for our edification to be welcomed into your Kingdom through Jesus’ great sacrifice on Calvary!

In Jesus’ Holy Name we pray - Amen