TRUSTING

Good morning everyone from our family here in Kenya 🇰🇪

One of the most misunderstood words among Christians is Faith.  I have always thought a better word to use is trust.

When Yeshua said come as a child…..  He didn’t mean to act childish…..

He was referring to the qualities of a child.

Unquestionable trust in their parents !!!

We can see starting from the Tanakh  / Old Testament…..through to the New Testament Adonai is readying His people…. reminding us through the stories of the Old Testament right through until today….. stories that speak of unshakable faith and TRUST and KNOWING.

But yet today’s church is not teaching list as much as they are teaching prosperity.

But please show me through these examples where Prosperity here on Earth ever existed for these people….. because all I see is adversity and trial…. it is after passing this…… it is after going through this fire the true blessings come.

Today we are going to see one of the most powerful of these admonitions in the New Testament.

We will be reading from the complete Jewish Bible by David H Stern beginning verse 1 of Messianic Jews/ Hebrews chapter 11

TRUSTING

“Trusting is being confident of what we hope for,  convinced about things we do not see. It was for this that scripture attested the Merit of the people of old.

By trusting, we understand that the Universe was created through a spoken word of God, shows at what is seen did not come into being out of existing phenomena.

By trusting, Hevel offered a greater sacrifice than Kayin, because of this, he was attested as righteousness, with God giving him just testimony on the ground of his gifts. Though having trusted, he still continues to speak, even though he is dead.

By trusting, Hanokh was taken away from this life without seeing death….. ‘ he was not to be found, because God took him away ‘ … for he has been attested as having been, prior to being taken away, well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches him must trust that he does exist and that he becomes a rewarder to those who seek him out.”

We are going to pause there for a moment this passage out of the book of Hebrews chapter 11 is quoted many times regarding a pre-tribulation rapture. We need to put scripture in context we need to read through the entire chapter to get the gist of why Enoch was taken.

And why not everyone is taken away…… but yet everyone is put through what we consider harsh testing and trial many times to their death.

We Begin our reading once again from verse 7 ;

” by trusting, Noach, after receiving Divine warning about things as yet unseen, was filled with holy fear and built an ark to save his household. Through this trusting, he put the world under condemnation and received the righteousness that comes from trusting.”

Again this trusting and obedience did not come without persecution and trial…. Noah was constantly laughed at mocked people thought he was crazy imagine how his children were treated by others.

Continuing at verse 8;

By trusting, Avraham obeyed, after being called to go out to a place which God would give him a possession, indeed, he went out without knowing where he was going. By trusting, he lived as a temporary resident in the land of the promise, as if it were not his, staying in tents with Yitz’chak and Ya’akov, who were to receive what was promised along with him. For he was looking forward to the city with permanent foundations, of which the architect and Builder is God.”

Once again we will pause this story of Abraham is totally abused in the Prosperity Gospel churches…. notice how this passage ends as a reference to not what is on Earth but to what God has waiting for him after he leaves this Earth ! This is the true treasure treasure in heaven not here on Earth. I hear so many Prosperity Gospel preachers claim we bring Heaven to Earth but they truly do not understand…. heaven will come to Earth during the Millennium reign and not before. And all of this only comes through 100% unconditional Trust.

Let’s continue on as we hear more about Abraham.

Verse 11;

“By trusting, he received potency to father a child, even when he was past the age for it, as was Sarah herself, because he regarded the One who had made the promise as trustworthy. Therefore this one man, who was virtually dead, fathered descendants

As numerous as the stars in the sky,

And as countless as the grains of the sand on the seashore.

All these people kept on trusting until they died, without receiving what had been promised. They had only seen it and welcomed it from a distance, while acknowledging that they were aliens and temporary residents on the Earth. For people who speak this way make it clear that they are looking for a Fatherland. Now if they were to keep recalling the one they left, they would have an opportunity to return, but as it is, they aspire to a better Fatherland, A HEAVENLY ONE. This is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them City.

By trusting, Avraham,  when he was put to the test, offered up Yitz’chak as a sacrifice. Yes, he offered up his only son, she who had received the promises,”

Messianic Jews / Hebrews 11 : 1 – 17

We are going to end our reading right here for today but I want to encourage all of you to read to the end of the chapter.

We will see example after example of testing and great trial.

The Great Tribulation is not a persecution or trial against people who are of the world, as much as it will be the people of the world that will be persecuting attacking and bring violence against God’s people.

This is allowed no different than how God allowed Satan to test Job….

 But it is through the testimony of the saints standing in trust that will minister to the world and bring many to Teshuvah  / Repentance.

The bottom line we need to step out in faith and trust and know that our blessed hope is greater than any adversity here on Earth.

It is through this trust and knowing, that gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding even in the face of adversity!