Following Jesus At Any Cost 04: Trust

Pastor Mabio Coelho

Midland SDA Church

September 18, 2021



EGW Text for the bulletin:
With the rich promises of the Bible before you, can you give place to doubt? Can you believe that when the poor sinner longs to return, longs to forsake his sins, the Lord sternly withholds him from coming to His feet in repentance? Away with such thoughts! Nothing can hurt your own soul more than to entertain such a conception of our heavenly Father. He hates sin, but He loves the sinner, and He gave Himself in the person of Christ, that all who would might be saved and have eternal blessedness in the kingdom of glory. What stronger or more tender language could have been employed than He has chosen in which to express His love toward us? He declares, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” Isaiah 49:15.

Look up, you that are doubting and trembling; for Jesus lives to make intercession for us. Thank God for the gift of His dear Son and pray that He may not have died for you in vain. The Spirit invites you today. Come with your whole heart to Jesus, and you may claim His blessing. (Steps to Christ, p. 54)


Welcome and Introduction to the series:

In this series we are studying what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, what it means to follow Him. Our goal is that you are not satisfied with knowing facts about Jesus. What I want you to know is to know Jesus for all that He is, so that you can have a daily walk and real relationship with Him. In the course of four weeks that we still have, we will study exactly about that.


We have studied so far about the invitation Jesus made to each one of us, as He invite us to come as we are. It was highlighted that He is not interested in your preparation, in your credentials, but in your availability.


Then we studied together what are some of the ways to appropriately answer Jesus call to us. We discover that Christianity it is a lifestyle and we also became aware of the need to press the big reset button in our life and start in a fresh walk with Jesus. I finished that second week by saying that it doesn't matter how long you've known Jesus, or even if you haven't known him at all. It's time to reset the clock and start a new walk. One of the ways of doing so is through reading your Bible. As a matter of fact I have invited you to read Scripture so that you will know for yourself how to follow Him. Do not be satisfied with merely hearing what others say about Jesus. Read as someone who is “hungry” to get to know Him and follow Him to the end.



In this series, the emphasis is that following Jesus is practical and personal. In the Bible we are reminded several times of an important reality: Christianity is not a religion, it is a lifestyle!!! To be a Christian is not to belong to the religion of Christ, to be a Christian is to live the life of Christ! That is why, since last week, we have started to look more closely at how Christ exemplified this in his life and in His interactions with others.



Last week we looked to Christ Himself to learn how to relate to Him just as He relates to the Father. Christ started the day early in prayer, and ended his day in Prayer. Not only that, He remained in constant communion with the Father, in prayer. In the morning He gave his life to God and asked for guidance so that God could reveal His agenda for the day. And throughout the day He followed this agenda in communion with the Father. This was a fundamental part of his lifestyle. If we want to continue to be his disciples and call us by his name (Christians), these habits must be an integral and substantial part of our lifestyle.



I invite you today to continue this journey with us looking into how to trust on Him.

(Intercessory Prayer)


Sermon:

Last week we discussed that prayer was a fundamental part of his lifestyle. If we want to continue to be his disciples and call us by his name (Christians), these habits must be an integral and substantial part of our lifestyle. I hope you all tried this week to ask God to wake you up in the morning to start such prayer journey with Him. And if you didn’t, it is never too late to do it.

Before we begin this morning's study of another practical aspect of following Jesus, let us pray once again for guidance from Holy Spirit in our study.

(praying specifically about the need to surrender to God, trusting Him entirely, even when His decisions don't seem to make sense….)


As we done before, let's look at another story of an incident involving Jesus. As usual, I will ask you that, as I tell the story, you put yourself in it, imagine yourself living it, being the protagonist of the story and try to make this your personal story. Follow me and personalize this story for you, so it becomes your story too:


The Professor, the master Jesus, told them to leave but they obeyed a little reluctantly. Jesus had just fed thousands with just a boy's snack. The Disciples, as we often do, were daydreaming with the myriad possibilities involving Jesus and them. The people wanted to acclaim Jesus as king. And the Disciples had everything to gain if they stayed and everything to lose if they left.


With great effort they pushed the boat back into the lake. A dozen men walked heavily, upset, towards the edge of the lake and entered the boat brooding: The master makes no sense... Why would He send them out now? Now is the time to get popular support and go for the throne...


To start to cross the lake that evening, they had to row for a few yards until their sailing boat started to be propelled by the wind. As they stopped rowing, the men relaxed and were able to smile in the relaxing breeze that drove them. Towards the middle of the night, as the crossed this big lake, suddenly dark clouds were gathering in the skies and the winds started to get more agitated... The Boat started to be shaken from side to side. The waves came from all sides. They completely lost their sight and started to wonder, where is the margin? Where to go?


On the darkest hour of the night, the storm mercilessly punished the boat to the point that a wreck became imminent. With each wave that hit the boat threatening to sink it, they felt it was going to submerge. They were filled with dread.


Suddenly, the flash of lightening reveals the impossible: A figure walking on the water towards them. "It's a ghost!", They shouted. They were terrified. In their superstitious mind, this was a sure sign of their certain death.


The person walking on water raised His voice and said: “Have courage! Do not fear!” The twelve knew that voice very well. They knew Him face-to-face. It was his beloved teacher: It was Jesus!


The disciples were then anxious for Jesus to join them on the boat. He had healed a blind man and raised a dead man. With Him on the boat they would be safe.


One dared to believe the impossible. He wanted to leave the boat and to join Christ where He was. Peter shouted against the howling wind: "If it is you, Lord, send me to come to you, over the water." (Mt 14:28). And Jesus said “Come.”


Peter gets up positioning himself on the edge of the ship. Some of them probably stared at him as he did so. Jesus' words sounded like thunder in his ears: "Come!" For the already impulsive Peter, this was what he needed. He hastily stepped out of the Boat and, with his eyes fixed on Jesus, he walks on water, doing what no one before him has done.


But Peter looks away at the waves that rose around him. And as he lost focus on Jesus, he started to sink, as if he were being sucked into a hole. "Lord, save me!" He cries out in despair. Instantly the Lord extends his arm and takes him out of the water, putting him back on his feet.


Jesus looks deeply into his eyes and says: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt 14:31)


Jesus helps Peter to get back on the boat and the storm is quiet as soon as Jesus enters the boat. Stillness now dominates the environment. The clouds open and the waters flatten out. Even with their hoarse voices, almost choking by tension, the Twelve babble the words: "Truly you are the Son of God!" (Matt 14:33)


Now, so that we can learn about trusting God through this narrative, so that we can personalize His experience for us, we need to talk and answer some questions together.


1 – Think of someone you really trust. Why do you trust him or her?


2 – Let's read Matthew 14: 22-33.

(a) And lets look first what that story teach us about Jesus’s own trust on the father? This story appears also in Mark 6:45-52 and John 6:15:21. In all the three account we are told that Jesus prayed. But why Jesus had the need to go up that mountain and pray? Everything seem to be going wonderfully. He should be cheering up as his Disciples were trying to cheering up themselves on the boat before the storm broke. What do you think? (John 6:15 it reads: “Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.” Jesus did not rush to make any decisions, He went to the father and waited for His answer. He learned to trust God with every decision. That is the only way to be safe in this world.)



You know what, this aspect of Jesus reaction to the people also is telling us something very important about faith and trust. Sometimes we loose our faith and trust in God not because He didn’t do what He promised but because our expectations don’t match His. We keep building dreams and wants that are earthly in nature and not necessarily align with God’s goal for us. That is why Jesus prayed, so He could align Himself with the will of the Father.



(b) Now, let focus in the rest of the story. What does this story teach us about trusting Jesus?

Hints:


3 – So, how to trust Jesus? How to trust God? Here are some practical steps to grow in your trust in Him:


(**) The first thing is what we figured out together in our last encounter: Pray, sharing with God how you feel. Be honest. In the book of Psalms, David we saw some examples of David’s many honest and open-hearted prayers. Every time you pray, surrender your will to Him so in whatever you do you are not looking for your own well-being or self-gratification but to honor Him, to serve Him, and to minister to others in His behalf. Only when we are where God want us to be is when we will be safe.



(a) Also, as we already saw, in the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:17

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

(Read your Bible, study more about God and your trust in Him will grow.)



(b) Here is another example from one of Jesus’s parables: The parable is well-known It is from the parable of the talents. The parable says that a rich man, owner of a big state, was going to a long trip out-of-town and chooses three employees to administer his money. He gave to one 1 talent, which means a lot of silver, to the other 2 talents, and to the third 5 talents. The guys who received 2 and 5 invested the money giving loans and receiving interest. The one ho received one, buried so when would not loose it. When the master came home, he congratulate the ones who invested and rebuked the one who did not. He also took away the talent he had given to this guy and gave to the one that had originally 5. Then he said what we read in Matthew 25:29:

“For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

What this means about our study today about trust and faith?

(The more you share the gifts you received from the Lord, the more they grow. And the biggest gift you received is your salvation. As you share with other what Jesus did and is doing in your life, your faith grows).



(c) What principle Mark 9:24 teach us? Just for the context, that is the story where one father brought his son who was demon-possessed and the disciples could not heal him. He was discourage. Then Jesus asked the father if he trusted Him to cure his son, if he had faith that Jesus could heal him. His answer was what is written in Mark 9:24:

‘Immediately the father of the child cried out and said [with tears], “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”’ So, what Mark is trying to teach us by recording it?

(Ask God for help with your Disbelief / Lack of Faith. Pray and keep on it even if you think your prayers don’t even go through the ceiling)


(c) Let’s read two verses. I will read James 2:15-17 and one voluteer from Zoom will read immediately after it Joshua 3:13-17. Let’s read first James 2:15-17:

“If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”



Sometimes, this verse is not clear to some, so lets read Joshua 3:13-17, which carries the same message. Joshua 3:13-17:

“13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.’

14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”


So, what principle those text are speaking about? (When you know what God's will is, act and don’t hesitate!)


4 – What would your life be like if you trusted Jesus completely? Think of something in your life that you would like to trust in Him entirely. Choose to trust Him!


(consecration prayer and possibly, if it is too late, stop here)


Conversation with the Word - Part II


Discover the joy and peace of entrusting your life and your future to Jesus. Here are 5 steps for you to trust your present and eternal life in Him:


1 – Be certain of God’s unconditional love for you

The Bible says in Romans 5:7,8;

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”


What do we learn from Romans 8:38,39?

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(We only trust those who love us, that is scientific. We can only trust unconditionally who loves us unconditionally!)


2 – What Paul is talking about in these two texts?: Romans 6:23:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”


And Romans 3:23

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”



What those verses mean for you. What God wants you to know?

(We all need Jesus as our Saviour. Without Him, all your efforts are in vain.)


3 – Learn that our situation is not hopeless: John 3:16 says to us:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”


And Paul, in Ephesians 2:8-9 complements:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”


God wants you to be sure that Christ gives you Eternal life as a gift to you when you give yourself to Him and follow Him.




4 – As the book of Ezekiel says many times, we need a new heart (e.g., Ezekiel 18:31; 36:26)! But how? 1 John 1:9:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

(Come to Jesus and He gives you a new heart).


5 –Finally, we have to know that it is Christ who, since Eden, makes every effort to be with us and to rescue us. You just need to give yourself. From Genesis to Revelation the message of the Bible is the same: Jesus never gives up in you and me. Let's look at what Rev 3:20 says:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

(Give your life to Him. Invite Him into your heart today! Invite him to walk with you and in you).


Friend, I want you to know that trusting Christ is a process. It is a continuous process that will only end when we receive from Him the Eternal Life He promised.



I want you to know that I have not always been at peace about my salvation. I was worried that I was good enough. I focused more on what I was doing than what Christ was doing for me.



Only years after my conversion, a friend cared about me enough to show me what Jesus truly did and does for me and started teaching me to trust Him. And he showed me some of the same verses that I shared with you today. When I read 1 John 5:13, I was so happy because I discovered that, in Jesus, I could have eternal life.



Really understanding that Jesus gave me the free gift of salvation filled me with love for Him. And because of what He did for me, I want to serve and obey Him. He gave me much more than I could ever dream or imagine, and most of all, more than I could ever give Him.


My friends, my brothers and sisters, thank Jesus for loving you the way you are! Nothing can separate you from His unconditional love and He will help you become everything you can be. You can trust Him and rest on Him, even on the middle of the biggest storm on life.



Thank Jesus for dying in your place, as a penalty for your sins. Once you are alone with Him, tell Him that you believe that everything He has done for you is a gift from His Grace that He has given you and that you accept it.


Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and He will!! Ask him to give you faith and to deal with your unbelief. He will give you a new heart and a new beginning.



So, invite Jesus now to be in your life and to be your life.!