In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

You don’t have to think about something to trust in it. Sometimes, you aren’t even aware that you trust it. For example, you are showing trust in something right now. You trust what you are sitting on to hold you up. In life, what or whom do you rely on? Today, the Bible urges us to...

1. Those who trust in man are cursed.

Radical humanism says that man can do anything. This idea goes all the way back to the tower of Babel. Of course, God proved that he can stop mankind anytime he wants to. Trusting man, instead of God, is just not a smart thing to do. Let’s consider some examples today.

Where did this world come from? If you trust in man, you’ll say that it evolved over billions of years. Many science teachers speak and act as though the theory of evolution is a fact. But, it isn’t. In fact, the more you study the theory of evolution, the more you realize that it is absolutely not a fact. Everybody’s relying on somebody else. The student believes the text book. The science teacher believes his university professor. The university professor believes the prevailing opinion of experts. And if you really make it all the way to the top expert, he’ll say, “I’m not so sure, but don’t tell anyone I said that.” Those who trust in man are cursed to believe a lie like evolution. It isn’t truth. God made everything in six days. The Bible is still right and, many people are wrong.

Sometimes people put too much trust in politicians. There are definitely some fine and honorable politicians, but some politicians make empty promises. And even the best politician will tell you that he can’t fix all of your problems no matter how hard he tries.

Maybe our military can fix them all. We have the greatest military in the world. But, can the military protect us from every robbery and every cowardly act of terror? No. If it was God’s will that our nation should be defeated, our military will be unable to change that.

Consider the field of medicine. There, surely man can do anything, right? Wrong. There are many great advances, to be sure, but can the doctor cure the common cold yet? Can they remove the fear of cancer every time? Sometimes, only God can help. And, if the truth be told, no medicine would ever work without God’s healing and God’s blessing.

Let’s move to financial security. About 80 years ago, the stock market crashed and many people learned that trusting in men or money just isn’t safe. Remember the many people down in New Orleans who suffered so much waiting for people to help. Many people did try, but in many cases it was too little and too late.

What about the church? If you can trust anyone, you can trust a member of the clergy, right? Wrong! There are false teachers. There are child molesters. There are crooks, frauds and hypocrites. Don’t put too much trust in clergymen, church officials, or anyone else. Those who trust in frail and sinful man are cursed.

Now, please, don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean that there is no one who is reliable. I mean that, ultimately, sinful people fail us. We even fail ourselves. Sometimes we make a New Year’s resolution and can’t keep it. We’re going to exercise and go on some diet, but then we fall off and stop. We’re going to come to Bible Class every single week, but then there’s that TV program on, or we want to beat the others to the restaurant. We fail ourselves. Now, consider our most important failure of all.

God says, “Be perfect!” He gives us clear commands. “Do this.” “Don’t do that.” And what have we done? We’ve sinned again and again and again. And now what? Can you save yourself? No. Can you do good works and get into God’ favor again? No. Can you work your way into heaven? No. If you trust yourself, or any other mortal, for salvation, you are going to hell. Because, those who trust in man are cursed. But,...

2. Those who trust in the LORD are blessed.

After all, whoever believes in the Lord Jesus will not perish but have eternal life. We can’t save ourselves, but Jesus did save us. He lived a perfect life for us. He died on the cross and paid for all of our sins. He rose from the dead with our forgiveness. Believe and trust in Jesus, and you will be blessed forever. You will live in heaven forever.

But that’s not all. Trusting the Lord provides blessings all through this life too. I mean think of the comfort, peace, and joy we have in Jesus. We have comfort in knowing that our sins are forgiven. We don’t have to suffer with a guilt trip because Jesus took our sins away. We have peace with God. So, we can have peace in our conscience and live at peace within ourselves. That gives us joy. We can live joyfully, knowing that God loves us and that we are going to heaven through faith in Jesus.

Those who trust in the LORD are blessed in other ways too. We have clarity and direction. The Bible plainly tells us what’s right and what’s wrong. The Bible tells us what is God’s will, and what is against God’s will. The Bible tells us our role in life too. We are to trust in Jesus, and produce fruits of faith for as long as the Lord decides. We live and serve under God, trusting God, looking forward to living with him in heaven.

Those who trust in the LORD don’t need to worry, because God promises to make everything work out for our eternal good. Even the so-called difficult days and trying times are good for us. They push us to pray. They drive us into the Scriptures. They show us the need for faith in Christ. They purify our thoughts and adjust our focus, so that we learn what matters, and what doesn’t matter much.

We could go on and on... Those who trust in the LORD are richly blessed in every way. We don’t have to worry about food or clothing or shelter. The Lord will take care of us. We don’t have to worry about tomorrow. God will still be in control. We don’t have to be afraid of dying, because even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord is with us, every step of the way. Our Good Shepherd guides us and leads us until we reach our heavenly home. Oh, how blessed we are. May we always trust in the LORD will all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding! Amen.