Morning it is a privilege to be here My heart has been encouraged and refreshed already this morning Especially in the breaking of bread most of you know me and know that for 19 and a half years My wife and I served with formerly known new tribes mission now known as ethnos and then we sense the Lord's leading in Resigned from ethnos and joined New Brunswick Bible Institute full time We saw the Lord's leading in that very smooth transition and you know It's interesting because when I was part of new tribes mission or when I was part of new tribes mission I was part of a team that formed what we called a volunteer representative And so now I'm a volunteer rep representative with ethnos and very excited and passionate about what the Lord is doing around the world But just an FYI in case you haven't heard ethnos is planning on putting two couples out here in Halifax And one of them will be doing mainly office work. It's amazing what you can do on the internet But then on the weekends he'll be doing some representation here in Nova Scotia But then also what ethnos hopes to do In a couple different places we have short-term mission programs and my wife and I started one in New Brunswick called Recapuna and we're hoping to start in the Halifax area a short-term missions program to expose people to tribal Missions without leaving the mare times and I'm very much looking forward to that and as part of New Brunswick Bible Institute I'm very excited and encourage what I see the Lord doing at NBI these days if you if you haven't been there for a while Just this summer Re someone redid the the page NBI dot the website NBI dot CA and very encouraged with what the Lord is doing this fall We've got a couple things lined up that are pretty exciting a few months ago The Lord has burdened my heart with the persecuted church And I've read three books by Chinese pastors in my heart has really been challenged and some other staff members as well in September 24th Voice of the martyrs is coming through and doing a presentation called solitary refinement Which is a reenactment of Richard Warren Brent's life if you're familiar with Richard Warren Brent and one of the books he wrote torture for Christ And then October 19th we have the Gettys coming through and the Gettys are very instrumental in in worship and sing at a lot of big retreats And whatnot and we're looking forward to having them come but I am also excited to see what's happening in the missions department at NBI This year we're looking at doing three mission trips one to Ethiopia one to Mexico We have a student from Mexico and his dad is a pastor and where his dad pastors There is a a lot of men in full-time ministry that have never had any any formal training or or any in-depth Bible study So both our trips Ethiopia and Mexico We're looking at going and and doing a little bit of mentoring to full-time Christian workers And Ethiopia we're also going to be working with a an orphanage and then in Mexico We'll be working with some homeless people street people maybe Warren We can take you with us and put you to work there in Mexico City And then also we want to go reach be involved in in reaching an indigenous group in Mexico There's one not too far away from where where the family lives that we're going to help And then also Lord willing heading back to Bolivia This will be the fifth year that I've been blessed to take a team to Bolivia As you know my wife and I were there almost ten years and we have an ongoing ministry with what's called the brickyards People that work in the brickyards and make bricks and a lot of orphans there a very very rough life And so appreciate your prayers and if anybody's ever interested in going on a mission strip, please contact me Well, I'm looking forward to sharing from the word of God this morning And a couple times already this morning the Lord has confirmed what I'm speaking on and I will be honest I immediately started to prepare a few weeks ago a missions message I love speaking on on missions and giving missions a challenge, but as I was preparing the Lord I felt the Lord guiding me else wise and so I want to follow the Lord's leading Let's pause and pray father. Thank you for who you are. Thank you for each one.
That's out here this morning Lord, you know we're each and every one of us are at and I pray has already been said this morning We would put aside the things that may distract us from the ministry of the word of God Lord, we thank you again for sending your son to die on the cross We can't fathom what the Lord Jesus Christ went through leaving You Lord in coming down Bearing our sins on that tree and father. We thank you that the Lord Jesus Christ rose victoriously We thank you for all that you've given us all that is available to us And Lord guide us as we look this morning at a few things in your name, amen. I'm gonna speak on trust this morning Gonna speak on trust I don't know about you, but I have noticed not only in my own life But I've noticed in other people as well that that it is easier I need to say easier to give the big things to God But yet we struggle sometimes with the little things Have you ever found that you've tossed and turned at night or or your mind has been preoccupied with something and maybe you've given it to God And then you took it back and then you gave it to God And then you repeat that that process back back in in fourth again And I find so often that sometimes it's the little things that trip us up It's the little things that that discourage us And it seems recently in the last couple months several people that I know have been discouraged In their walk with the Lord and it's been little things that have tripped them up and we need to watch out for those little things We need to everything in our life We need to give over to the Lord So I've started out to make sure that we even have a good definition of trust trust is defined as a firm belief And I want there's four things here that I think will really help us as we think of believers as in trusting in the Lord Trust is a firm belief in liability the ability the truth and Then the strength of someone or something so you think about that a firm belief in the reliability in the truth in the ability and the strength Think of now as you're trusting someone trusting someone trusting someone that is reliable Someone that has proven themselves Someone that has the ability someone that is truthful someone that is strong if you think about the Lord for a second Is he not reliable? We have his word that that is full of accounts and the stories where where he has proven himself His credibility Psalms 22 four said our fathers trusted in the they trusted and thou did us deliver them You know the word trust appears 134 times in the word of God.
That's the word trust That's not counting other words like trusted trusting etc. He is reliable And again when you find yourself maybe going down the path of not trusting him coming back to that that he has proven himself He is reliable. He is truth. I think we all know John 14 six Jesus said I'm the way the truth and the life, you know, that's what changed my life years ago when I was wrestling With trusting God that he is true Psalms 12 or 6 for the words of Lord our pure words as silver tried in the furnace of earth purified seven times that he is truth and That his ability if you've got your Bibles go just for a couple minutes to Ephesians chapter 3 as we think of of his ability Many years ago.
I read a book by Jerry bridges called trusting God and that book really really challenged me and one thing I remember even though I read that book back in 95 one thing that Jerry bridges says is that God can be trusted and in arena with no boundaries Because you know so often as Christians It's like we put God in a little box and it's like I can trust you in this box as long as what everything stays within the box Well, God can be trusted in an arena with no boundaries here any Ephesians chapter 3 starting at verse 14 It says for this cause I bow my knee unto the Father our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole family and heaven and earth is named That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inter man And I I hope I could go on so many rabbit trails here this morning But I hope that's happening teaching every one of us that we are being strengthened in the inner man that we are growing and maturing In the Lord that we're growing and a choring in our faith for 17 that Christ made well in your hearts by faith that you being Rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints What is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ? Are you growing in your love? You understanding the breadth the height the depth of the love of Christ which passes all knowledge That you might be filled with fullness of God verse 20 now I want to him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think is God not able I remember years ago As a child attending camp and at the back of the chapel there was three words up on the wall And you know what for years those words bug me because I didn't understand them I wasn't a believer but those three words haunted me if you will and all they said was he is able I Could not fathom how is he able I? Didn't know him Let me ask you this morning is there an area of your life is there something in your life?
Maybe that you wrestle with Whether it's big or small he is able to do exceedingly abundantly above that which we ask or think his ability His strength Hebrews one verse three says he upholds all things by the word by the power of his word First Chronicles 5 20 says and when they had prevailed over him over them Sorry the Hagerites and all that were with them were given into their hands for they cried out to God in the battle And he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him Psalms 18 one is better to trust in the Lord than in man Have you ever trusted in man and then and then been what disappointed or discouraged years ago a man that had actually mentored me? Really disappointed me and I was devastated and one of my teachers I was going through the new drawings mission training And I was just devastated I could not believe what this guy did and my teacher told me this He said Mike to be disappointed or to be discouraged is that believed in men rather than God Because he sometimes we place our trust in people It is better verse 9 it better to trust in the Lord and to put confidence in princes Psalms 125 one day that trust in the Lord Shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed by the bideth forever Have you noticed recently it seems like like there's been several people that seem to be falling away from the Lord Psalms 32 10 says he that trust is in the Lord mercy shall compass about him and then Psalms 34 8 says Oh taste and see How do you know if something is good if you haven't what tried it? You know for me there's nothing greater than than living by faith and and trusting the Lord You know we've seen the Lord do some amazing things in the last couple of months Oh taste and see that the Lord is good bless it is the man that trusted in the Lord I'm convinced that that we need to trust the Lord that that we need to step out in faith and and see him provide Now take your Bibles and where I want to focus our attention this morning on is Psalms 71 Psalm 71 The Lord drew my attention to a couple verses here in Psalm 71 in the oh Lord Do I put my trust and let me say it again? How often do we put our trust in other things and don't even think about it?
How many drove here in a car this morning? Have you read up on on your vehicle and the breaks? How long are the breaks going to last? You know we recently were in Pennsylvania and We took some vacation and went down to help my mother-in-law and my father-in-law passed away four years ago So we go down every year and we help her but I told the boys we love rollercoaster rides And so I told my boys one day we're gonna go to Hershey Park and we're gonna go there and we're going to have fun and as a family we love rollercoaster rides and there was one in particular that my oldest son and I really loved called the Great Bear and if you think about that It's just like hopping on a bear and going for a ride 75 miles an hour and and you're inverted and you do corkscrews and and I don't like the rollercoaster rides that you see them in the box, okay, because I like to take it up an ottre too and this one you just sit on a chair and your feet swing free and believe You mean they swing free and and you know when you get on this rollercoaster ride There's no seatbelt the only thing is is this bar comes down and over your chest That's the only thing that holds you in and my son get in beside me He pulled his bar down and I heard it go click I pulled my bar down and I didn't hear click I said to my son, Jed, did you hear my bar go click?
He said I think so I said I want more than I think so Because if my bar didn't go click, I'll be singing a new rendition of I'll fly away And there was an older man that was working right there on the ride and I said to this guy Sorry, I didn't hear my bar go click and he said I'm sure I heard it go click and I said I apologize Sir, but I said could you check to make sure it went click and he came over and he pushed down on it He said well as soon as he pushed down on it went click and he said I'm glad you insisted and then I got thinking You see I tend to be mechanical and I happen to see right in front of me of the chair in front of me What makes it go click? And then I started to think wait a second Wait a second That is just a little piece of metal that engages over another piece of metal a lot of people that that come on this ride Way a little less than I do what if that little ear is fatigued and I started to worry and I started to panic and then the Lord Brought to mind Mike how many times have you gotten on this ride and never thought about it? But you put your trust in it and as I'm sitting on this ride I said Lord this is a great example of us in our walk with the Lord because how many times do we do things and we don't even think about it But then when the Lord asked us to do something we get all worried we fret we say I couldn't never do that You want me to go out with Warren and John on Friday night? No, I'll stay home and pray I'll give so you can buy tracks But you know when it comes to stepping out in faith and I'll be honest with you I was so worked up.
I said Lord I'm not even going to be able to enjoy this ride Because what if it comes unclick and you want the Lord brought to mind to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord That was not a good time for that verse But you know what folks down through the years in ministry? There's been many many times when I've stepped out in faith I've said Lord. I don't know what I'm going to trust you. Thank you Nick for letting us sing that song It's so sweet to trust in Jesus Why coming back to the definition of trust when we know who he is When we know that he is sovereign that he is omnipotent.
Why do we wrestle? Why don't we trust him? Why don't we say Lord? Here's my life with an open hand What whatever you want me to do the Psalm 71 verse one in the oh Lord Do I put my trust?
I may not be said that we put our trust in other things but not in the Lord You know I will be honest one thing that has discouraged me as when I see young people And I see young people that that are just losing with gifting and talent and I get excited and I think they're gonna go to the mission field And and like one guy seven years ago. He told me I believe God has me to be a missionary I'm gonna go and this guy was oozing with gifting a tremendous Bible teacher Very likable personality very gifted in language learning and then as he got close to the end of his timing at Nbbi I said to him so where are you going? And you know what his response was because we had talked about different places in the world where the needs are and he could go And when I asked him so where are you going? You know what he said?
I'll know as soon as I meet her and I forgot that reference He said I can't go as single. I need a woman. I need someone and you know what to this day This day he hasn't gone and Unfortunately, I bump into him occasionally and he's not doing anything for the Lord Don't waste what God has given us. Let's trust him Let's let's say Lord here.
I'm offering what I have a little as much I'm going to offer you what I have Do I put my trust and then notice what it says? Let me never be put to confusion Be careful Back in May I was at the doctor and when I was sitting there the doctor came in and and he's been my doctor my whole life In fact, his dad was our veterinarian. So I've known this man for a long time And so he came in and I immediately knew right away. He was stressed out.
I could tell he was stressed out So I had to assume the doctor position and I said to him I said doctor, you look stressed out you look like something's bothering you He said I have had a terrible day. He said do you know how hard it is to be a doctor with Google? He said everybody that I have seen today has googled their their their symptoms and they've made assessments and they're telling me what's wrong with them And they have no idea He said I do not like Google And you know what's interesting I went from there and I stopped into the Dodge dealership and to get something and I Stopped into visit the salesman He's a good friend one of the sales and he's a good friend of mine a believer and he looked worried and I said to him I said I said to him I said brother what's wrong? He said well, I haven't been feeling the best and I've been googling and then he told me he said I've got MS And I said are you going to go to the doctor?
And he said no, I've googled and I've read articles but you know folks a few weeks later he told me he went to the doctor He doesn't have MS He just was going through a rough time and he was nervous he was stressed out But but you know what else Spiritually there is so much information out there today that is false what causes confusion false information You can be studying the word of God and you can Google and you can read countless reports By maybe even people that that are labeled and I'm not meaning to be little this but they may have a great title But it does not mean it's accurate and I believe it's causing a lot of confusion today in the church Because we've read it in fact on the way down here. I was listening to a podcast I never never heard of this person before and I start listening to him I had to stop what he said sounded really good, but it was not theologically correct False information causes you to doubt the truth and we have got to be careful today We have got to be careful lack of direction will cause confusion Let me encourage you to follow and trust and support your elders That we need to follow our leaders support those that God has placed And be careful of following other things lack of direction causes confusion. You know, it also cause confusion being tired Being tired not taking time to rest And I can speak from experience on this one You know, and be behind we just had a staff retreat down at Living Waters and Danforth Maine And you know what Matthew little did something different this time He changed the schedule all up and he said I want us to have some free time and you know what? One of our scheduled free time.
I was just sitting in the chair Reading the word of God. I will not go on a rabbit trail But the Lord really encouraged me and and set me on fire if you will in Psalm 78 And the Lord just rekindled my passion And I went and I said to my wife I said she said I can see you got a message on your lips She knows me well, I said oh honey I said the Lord has just rekindled my passion for what we're doing and she said that's interesting He just did the same thing to me Folks we need to be careful that we don't get so busy even serving the Lord that we don't take time It's not just a cliche When we get tired We can get confused be still and know that I'm God Another thing that causes confusion is what too many orders too many white hats if you will and in this day of information overload Well, so and so said this I heard it I read it. It must be true Be very very careful. You know another thing that can cause confusion is an infection an infection and infection that we have got to be careful of the sin And and not getting sin in our life Another thing that will cause confusion is an injury an injury My father-in-law passed away four years ago in April.
My father-in-law was a very healthy man hardly ever got sick 67 years old tremendous Bible teacher elder and the church my wife grew up in hardly ever got sick just turned 67 He decided he was gonna work one more year and then give his life full time to serve the Lord go on mission trips Go on health missionary that needed to build a house etc etc one Sunday morning He came down and he was confused just couldn't seem to make sense of things They found out a short time later that he had leukemia and he died less than two weeks later He'd had an infection in his blood and didn't even know it and an injury again. Have you ever been hurt? If we don't get that injury that hurt healed It'll cause confusion and even take us out We've got to be careful my oldest brother. Just this week part of a toe was amputated.
He's diabetic Not looking after himself. He's had a toe that's been bothering him Not been looking after it and the doctor said if you are not careful next it'll be your foot Folks we've got to be careful If sometimes we were hurt or we're offended or whatever we've got to take care of the infections of the injury because they are serious For times sake now jump down to verse 3 be thou my strong Habitation, you know every one of us needs a safe place whether it's in an apartment a house or whatever it is We need a place that what that's ours That we can come home at the end of the day and it's very important that that we have that place that place of security that place if you will that we come home and we can we can Relax be refreshed be be with our family and we need that strong habitation and we need that spiritually We need to be very careful not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together We need that strong habitation that that place Where we can go to one thing that I'm challenging my mission students with is that they have what I call go-to Versus that they have verses that they can go to in times of trouble in times of discouragement and they can come to those verses And what be refreshed be encouraged and be reminded of our identity and who we are in Christ And we've got to trust the Word of God because our flesh and our enemy will tell us anything differently Now notice how it says we're on to I may continually resort Do we go there and get refreshed and get encouraged? Back in 99 when we were preparing to go to Bolivia a season missionary a missionary that by God's grace God used them in amazing way I asked the season missionary what do I need to take to the mission field? I was thinking practical things So were they but they were thinking spiritually they said to me Mike there's only two things you need to take to the mission field They said one is your Bible and the other is a hymnal I looked at him and said a hymnal.
I'm only allowed so many things like haven't you heard of courses? You know courses were starting to come out back there in 99 and really changed some things a hymnal And so I took a hymnal. I wish I could sing if I could sing I would sing this for you this morning But number 244 and the hymnal how firm a foundation many many times on the mission field I came to this hymn and I dwelled on it and it refreshed me that there I would come to my strong habitation I would resort to this in fact I photocopied it and put it in the front of my Bible I want to just read it to you quickly how firm a foundation you say in sub the Lord is laid for your faith in his excellent word What more can he say? Then to you he has said to you who for refuge to Jesus has fled to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled fear not I am with thee.
Oh be not dismayed for I am thy God. I will still give thee aid I'll strengthen thee and healthy and cause thee to stand upheld by my Obnipit my righteous of nipitant hand upheld by my righteous of nipitant hand when through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie my grace So sufficient shall be thy supply the flame shall not hurt thee I'll only design thy drawst to consume thy gold to refine thy drawst to consume thy gold to refine the soul that on Jesus had I will not I will not desert to his foes that soul the whole hell should endeavor to shake I will never know never never for sake. I'll never know never for sake. Wow the truth that I'm in this hymn And I remember one time going through it and I felt like everybody was out to get me.
What why me have you ever been there? What next Lord and as I was meditating on this hymn, it's like the Holy Spirit of God said to me Mike There's a little bit of draws in you or maybe there's a whole lot This is the refining process Mike and some of the ugly needs that he worked on What a powerful powerful truth. You know when we're in Pennsylvania one thing that really blessed me My wife's grandfather is 99 here in just a few weeks. He's gonna grandpa's gonna turn 100 One thing that amazed me was grandpa was continually in the word of God continually in the word of God You would see him in the morning several times in the day and in fact one day he said to me young fella boy.
I love that Young fella He said I got a question for you. I said okay. He said I've been studying and he said could you help me? He said I'm wrestling with Hebrews 1026 for if we sin willfully after after that we have received the knowledge of truth there remain It's no more sacrifice for sins.
He said I'm struggling with it. Can you help me and boy? We sat there and we studied the word of God and I said grandpa. I don't know if I'm gonna see 99 But if I do I still hope I'm studying the word of God I still hope that I at 99 grandpa.
Let me say this respectfully has forgotten more than I know about the word of God A tremendous man of God, but yet he humbles himself and says can you help me all grandpa? I want to be like you. I want to study the word of God. I want to continue to trust in the word of God Maybe you've been there.
Maybe you're there struggling with the word of God I want to want to give you just in closing the ABCs for helping in struggling the word of God first off acknowledge that God is sovereign My God leads his dear children along sometimes it's through fiery trials But we have got to trust him Recently Matthew little the president of nbbi said this faith is living in forward what only makes sense in reverse And you know as we're trusting God and we're following him sometimes it doesn't make sense But let's continue to trust him and and follow him Acknowledge that that what his ways are perfect Psalms 18 30 as for God his ways are perfect The word of God is tried. He's a buckler to all those that trust him. Oh, let's continue to trust him Even though many many people today are out to attack the word of God, but you know what? That's nothing new the enemy's tried that from the beginning Continue to trust the word of God Be believed don't get bogged down Be very careful not to get disillusioned by some of that teaching that you may have found out there come back to the word of God I so appreciate what was was instilled in me when I first came to lord My mentor said might always study the word of God before you go to the commentaries Because the commentaries will sway you one way or the other Go to the word of God and allow the Holy Spirit of God to teach you don't be disillusioned be careful not to be discouraged Distracted to be detoured or to be confused but continue to believe the word of God And see confess confess Lord I I need you One verse that is always amazed me and that's first Timothy 115 and Paul they've also Paul said This is a faithful and trustworthy saying Christ Jesus came to save sinners of whom I'm chief I'm whom I'm chief.
I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. Just a few days ago. My heart was really blessed My oldest son came down and he said I'll quote him when he said he said fam We need to chat and I said okay.
What's up? He said the Lord convicted me that last night I had a bad attitude I said I didn't notice he said that let me finish. He said the Lord convicted me. I want to make it right You know confession is one thing that seems to be slipping today Ultimately, yes, we need to confess our sins to the Lord But when we wrong one another we need to follow through on that trust the word of God Trust the word of God Psalms 28 seven says the Lord is my strength and my shield My heart trusts in him and I'm helped therefore my heart greatly rejoices And with song I will praise him.
Let's not waver from trusting the word of God One more verse coming back to Psalm 71 verse 14 and I will hope continually You know, isn't that something that we see is missing today? We're trying we're trying to find it in everything else Our hope our joy everything has got to come from God and from the word of God Let's continue to trust him. He is reliable his ability his strength His abilities proven himself. Let's continue to trust the word of God for his honor glory.
Let's pray Father, thank you for who you are. Thank you for the word of God Not many times we neglect even pause and thank you that we have the word of God in our language We know there's so many people groups that do not have the word of God We know there's so many believers that do not have access to the word of God Because of their country In the opposition to the word of God, but we have access to the word of God. We have it in so many forms God may we continue to trust the word of God May we be careful with what we hear and be quick to turn off anything that's contrary to the word of God God, I thank you that we can trust you. Thank you that Jesus Christ today yesterday today and forever that you are the saying that you never change And I thank you for that God you are our hope You are our hope And we pray your your guidance and your blessing on this week as we head out in our separate ways To God be the glory And we'll be careful to thank you for what you choose to do this week and Jesus name