We are going to do our lesson today on having confidence in the Lord. We have confidence in some people of today. We have confidence in preachers, mothers, fathers and many other people we have had an impact on our lives. What I would like to get us to realize is that we need confidence in the true and living God. By the help of our Lord I would like to take some men in the Bible and help us see the confidence they had in God. If you will read Genesis Chapter 22, you will find that a man by the name of Abraham had confidence in God. God had promised Abraham and Sarah a child. God full filled that promise and gave them a son and they named him Isaac. As the child grew there came a day when God spoke to Abraham.
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Gen 22:1-2 (KJV)
We find that Abraham did not hesitate. The next morning he and the lad rose up and began their journey. They would journey to place that God would show him. On the third day Abraham saw the mountain the place he was to offer his son as a sacrifice unto God. Abraham had enough confidence in God that he was willing to take his son up that mountain and offer him to the Lord. He might not have understood how God was going to do it but he was sure of one thing that he was going to bring Isaac back down that mountain alive.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. Gen 22:-5 (KJV)
After Abraham built the altar he laid the wood in order and bound Isaac and laid him on the altar.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. Gen 22:10-12 (KJV)
God provided a ram for the sacrifice. So Abraham and Isaac returned down the mountain and then went home. He had great confidence in God. Why can’t we have this kind of confidence in God? He is still the same today as He was then. Now we will go to a young lad by the name of David. In 1 Samuel 17 we find a story that we were told as little children. A story that is so true about David and Goliath. David was just a lad when he came to the place where the Philistines were making war with Israel . When David heard Goliath defy the army of God he said is there not a cause. No one would go out and fight this giant. David said I will go fight this giant. You have to realize that Goliath was a man of war. He had fought many battles and never lost a one. But this time he was fighting a young lad that had confidence in God. David was sure that God was going to give him the victory.
37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. 1 Sam 17:37 (KJV)
45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel , whom thou hast defied. 1 Sam 17:45 (KJV)
49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 1 Sam 17:49-50 (KJV)
So you see David prevailed because he had the utmost confidence in the God he served. We are serving the greatest God that there has ever been. A God that moves mountains, dried up the Red Sea and makes the sun, moon and stars to shine. We have seen the great hand of God in our lives so there is no reason that we can’t have this confidence in God. In the Job Chapter 19 we read about another man who had confidence in God. Even after every thing he went through he still believed and trusted in God. 25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. Job 19:25-27 (KJV)
You see Job realized that it did not matter what happen to him in this life that he would see God on this earth with his own eyes. That is confidence in God. In Daniel we read about three Hebrew children that would not bow to any other god. Their lives were threatened. The king told them that if they would not bow to his image they would be cast into a fiery furnace.
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Dan 3:16-18 (KJV)
These young men were not afraid to put there trust in their God. The reason is because they had confidence in him that he would take care of them. I could go on and on with this but time and pages would not permit. So ask us do we have this kind of confidence in God. You can put God to the test and he will prove to be true every time. He will bring you through things in your life that you never dreamed possible. Let me plead with us to put our confidence in God and not in man. Man will let you down when God never will. I trust that this lesson has been a blessing to each of you that would take the time to read.
Yours in Christ
Elder Burdette Thomas
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