February 6,
2005: “Test of Trust” by Joe Bartemus,
Pastor of Adult Education. Today Pastor
Joe gave a heart-penetrating message based on the second half of Matthew 8. His
message focused on four areas in our lives where, like the characters in the
stories, we need to choose to trust Christ instead of give in to worry,
anxiety, fear, or insecurity.
As Pastor
Joe pointed out, trust is faith in action. As you review the four areas Pastor
Joe covered in his message, note that they reveal the true treasures (idols) of
our heart, and they serve as a litmus test for determining if the faith that we
profess is authentic in our daily actions.
The overall
question for today’s message is, “What does it mean to seek ye first the
Kingdom of God?” (Matthew 6:23) With this as a backdrop, Pastor Joe
contrasted trust in Christ vs. worry over material needs, anxiety over our
relationships with others, fear for our physical well being, and our
insecurities over loss of what we treasure most in life.
1.
Material needs: To the first “disciple” who came up to Jesus, Pastor Joe noted, Christ
essentially said to him, “My priority system is different than yours. I’m after
God’s Kingdom rather than setting up shop here in the world’s system.”
(8:18-20)
a.
Do you trust God to provide what you
need in life, or do you worry about meeting your material needs? How is that played out in your everyday
life?
b.
Do your thoughts and concerns over
material needs and possessions ever get in the way of wholeheartedly following
Christ? How would your life look differently if you were seeking first the Kingdom of God?
c.
In Randy Alcorn’s book, The Law of Rewards, he notes that if you
own a car, have a roof over your head, any level of education, and clothes to
choose from, you’re one of the top 15% most wealthy people in the world (if you
have two cars and a whole closet of clothes, you’re in the top 5%). How are you
being a steward of this exorbitant amount of wealth and using it for the
advancement of God’s Kingdom?
2.
Relationships: In this second test of trust, the man who came to Jesus was committed to
his dad first, and then wanted to follow God…someday…(8:21-22)
a.
When given the opportunity to serve
Christ, what kind of excuses do you find yourself making that prevent you from
doing so - (Some examples – “I’ll start tithing once I pay off my debts…”,
“I’ll start working at the church more once my kids are out of the house…”,
“I’ll really commit to Christ once I retire…”)? How are you serving Christ now?
b.
With regard to personal relationships,
do you trust in God to help you in your relationships with others, or are you
filled with anxiety over how things are going?
What would happen differently if you took it to the Lord in prayer and
sought His divine guidance?
3.
Physical Health, Safety: In the next story, we find a test between trust and fear. The disciples
were in a boat, fearing for their lives and safety (8:23-27).
a.
What life circumstances are you
currently going through in which you find yourself choosing fear over trust
(read 2 Tim. 1:7)?
b.
Why is it so easy to lose our focus on
Christ when our personal health and safety become endangered? How have we
bought into the world’s value system in this way?
4.
Treasures: In the story of the demon-possessed men, the people of Gadara failed the
test concerning treasures as they preferred their swine over the Savior. The
following questions serve as a good litmus test to examine if you are clinging
to a treasure/idol over Christ:
a.
What
activities do you find yourself spending the greater part of your time and
energies and why? For example, take a
look at your schedule, checkbook, or your thought life and see if you can find
where you might be out of balance.
b.
What
are the things in your life that if you totally lost them in some disaster
would cause you to respond in anger towards God?
c. Are there any things in life that
you want so badly that you would be willing to do most anything to achieve…even
if it meant committing sin in order to obtain?