Jeremiah 17:5-8 * February 11, 2007 *
Epiphany 6 * Pastor Leyrer
Dear Friends in Christ,
It was passed into law as the official national motto of the
“In God we trust” is a phrase familiar to every American. For Christians, however, these words are more than a slogan. They are a comforting declaration. In God we trust.
The question our text confronts us with today is whether or not we as believers always operate under this assumption. God, through his prophet Jeremiah, is speaking to people who outwardly professed belief and trust in God, but who in reality put their trust for all things in themselves.
The Lord has something to say about that. He first issues a severe warning and then offers a wonderful encouragement. Let’s talk about this important subject, using as our theme that well known but powerful little phrase:
IN GOD WE TRUST
as we discuss, on the basis of our text,
1. The untrustworthiness of man,
as opposed to
2. The complete trustworthiness
of God
This is what the Lord
says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his
strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he
will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where
no one lives.”
The information here is pretty straightforward. The Lord designates a certain type of individual as “cursed,” meaning such people bring destruction upon themselves.
In particular it is “the one who trusts in man” as opposed to God; the one “who depends on flesh for strength” – that is, looks inward rather than upward for strength and power; and the one “whose heart turns away from the Lord,” again suggesting that the person who turns inwardly to himself is at the same time turning away from God.
Such a person is described in three different ways. As you listen to these descriptions, ask
yourself what they call to mind. 1) “He will be like a bush in the wastelands”;
2) “He will not see prosperity when it
comes”; and 3) “He will dwell in the
parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.”
What comes to mind? Something along these lines: The individual who trusts only in him or herself is shallow, rootless, and void of any accompanying power. In addition, such people will never know or experience true spiritual prosperity because they are spiritually destitute and live in a spiritual wasteland.
Not a very flattering picture. But an accurate once of the person who does not have God in their life. Or the person who does – but acts as if He is not an active force.
With these words the Lord is describing a way of thinking and doing that has been around since the beginning of time and continues to this day. We generally label it “humanism.” An ancient Greek philosopher named Protagoras nicely summed up the humanist’s creed with the statement that “man is the measure of all things.” And although those who embrace it may deny it, “humanism” is as much a religion as Christianity.
The difference, of course, is that Humanism places man at the center instead of God. In fact, to the true humanist God is viewed as being a detriment to man realizing his potential. Religious faith is considered a crutch for the emotionally weak and the concept of sin is unrecognized. "No deity will save us; we must save ourselves," boldly declares a document known as the second Humanist Manifesto written in 1973. (Interestingly enough it was written to replace and readjust the first Humanist Manifesto written forty years earlier because man had failed to reach the lofty goals set forth at that time. Go figure. The denial that man is sinful doesn’t make it so.)
What is God’s assessment of humanism and those who buy into that way of thinking? He says such a person is “cursed.”
In other words, man as the measure of all things is untrustworthy. He is not capable of either controlling his destiny in the present or of saving himself eternally in the future. In short, the man who trusts only in himself is on the road to present unhappiness as well as eternal destruction BECAUSE HE IS PUTTING HIS TRUST IN THE WRONG PLACE.
On the other hand, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord (as opposed to man), whose confidence is in Him (as opposed to himself). He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” This is the believer. Notice the vivid description.
Like a deeply rooted tree, the believer is a picture of
strength. Ongoing sustenance from the
Word of God leads to a deep confidence, contentment and productivity, even when
outward circumstances may not be personally favorable. The characteristics which define the believer
are exactly opposite of the shallowness and powerlessness that characterizes
the man who trusts only in himself.
Furthermore, God says that such a person who “trusts in the Lord” is “blessed.”
We and all believers are such “blessed” people. But let us make sure that we give credit where credit is due. This “trust in the Lord” is in itself a gift of God’s grace. God the Holy Spirit has come into our lives and led us to certain conclusions. He has given us the ability to trust Him. And how “blessed” we are that we do.
Specifically, what is it that we trust in the Lord for? First and foremost, for our eternal salvation. God has led us to see ourselves for what we are – sinful human beings. Even more importantly, He has led us to understand Him for what He is – a loving, caring God who has provided forgiveness for all of those sins through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
By His grace we have come to understand (and trust) the
truth of Romans 3:23 which tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God,” as well as Romans 6:23 which tells us “the wages of sin is death.” But believers also know (and trust) the
rest of the passage: “But
the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
As believers we know that salvation does not come as a result of our natural goodness or our own earthly performance or by unleashing the power of our inner selves, but entirely because of the divine goodness of God and the sacrificial work of His Son in and on our behalf. We trust Him alone for our eternal life…
And that’s not all. We
also trust Him for our present life. Scripture is full of promises that speak of
God’s love and trustworthiness. One of
the more beautiful ones can be found twelve chapters later in this book. In Jeremiah
29:11 we read these marvelously comforting words, originally delivered to
people who were going through difficult times (and just as applicable to us
today as it was to them back then): “‘For
I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
There are dozens more promises like that. And every single one of them, in the words of our text, is enough to keep our leaves green even when the heat and the drought come upon us in the form of personal setbacks or unexpected events. Every single one of them allows us to go into the future with boldness and without fear. Because minted on to every promise is the declaration and encouragement: “In God we trust.”
But let’s be honest. Would you agree that truly trusting God is easier said than done? Would you be willing to admit that lurking within each of us is a humanist who wants to be completely in control of our life and is not entirely confident in handing over the reins to God?
Moreover, is it not true that like the Apostle Peter, who once walked on water as long as he looked at Jesus but fell when he focused on the waves, we too often do not trust God as we could or should? That too often we focus on the negatives instead of the positives, the cares instead of the blessings… and in the process bring upon ourselves unnecessary pain and pressure and worry? And that’s never where we want to be…
So the question for us is: how can we become more trusting of God, and consequently, more “blessed”? Allow me to briefly address three ways God suggests to us in His Word. Two of them we can do ourselves; the other one God may choose to do for us.
First, cultivate an
intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through contact with His Word. Many of you already know this. When we are regularly in the Word we
constantly see evidence of God’s power and love and care for us. And our trust in God grows. Trust comes from faith, and, as Paul reminds
us in the Book of Romans, “faith comes from hearing the message, and
the message is heard through the word of Christ.”
A second way to move from less stressful reliance on self to
more liberating trust in God is to simply remember. Remember the past. Remember
Likewise, remember our own past. How the Lord has worked in our lives. How He has never left us or forsaken us. How He’s earned our trust. Remembering these things solidifies that trust.
A third and final way to make the move is through a proper understanding of trials and hardships. Our text indicated that believers will go through times of excessive “heat” and “drought,” symbolic words for difficult times in our lives. I wonder if we fully understand and appreciate how important and instructive trials are for our spiritual formation. While we generally see them as bad things to be avoided at all cost, in reality they are often the golden opportunities God gives us to rely on Him completely.
Two men, one of whom was a lifeguard, were standing on the beach watching another man swimming in the distance. It was obvious that he was in distress. The swimmer began to flail wildly. The man on the beach asked the lifeguard, “Aren’t you going to help him?” The lifeguard answered, “Not yet.” The swimmer went under and came back up a couple of times. Each time the man on the beach said, “Now?” The lifeguard continued to watch, but said, “Not yet.” Finally the swimmer went down for the last time and did not come up. The lifeguard said, “Now,” jumped in, swam out to the man and brought him safely back to shore.
The point? Often it is only after we have exhausted all forms of self-reliance and come to grips with our own futility regarding a situation that God then steps in and helps us. It is at those times – and perhaps only at those times – when we really learn to trust in Him, because there was absolutely nowhere else to turn. Then we find that not only does He not fail us, but He uses such times to teach us about the whole matter of “control” and to bring us into a deeper relationship with Him. And our trust in God grows.
Let’s bring our thoughts to a close. IN GOD WE TRUST is more than an American motto. And it’s more than a familiar phrase inscribed on the money in our pocket or our purse. For the believer, these words are a declaration of faith… a statement of our strength… a source of great comfort… and a simple solution to life’s worries.
May God give us the spiritual wisdom and insight to trust Him completely for all things, knowing, in the words of our text, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.” Amen.