Building Trust Relationships (Heb. 11:6)

Wayne Galloway
10/04/12 - N/A

Series: Additional Studies

Introduction:

1.  The Bible is all about our learning to trust the Lord.  The passage we have just read uses the term “faith” to describe what is essentially encompassed in our word trust. 2.  The one who comes to God (note that this refers to closeness rather than distance), must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (We seek relationship with God as a result of our perception that He has our interest in mind, namely that He rewards those who seek Him.) 3.  I have a powerful interest in this concept of trust not only in the development of my relationship with God, but also as it relates to the development of my relationships with other people, and more generally in people’s relationships with one another—in marriage, parenting, friendship, etc. 4.  Who is it that we trust and why?  What are the dynamics of creating trust and thus building a relationship with others?  What can I do to help others learn to trust me?  Trust is a key element in our work of persuading others to hear the message of God. 5.  There are many questions that come to mind.  I am convinced that God is the one that we need to look to first in trying to find answers to such questions.  Not only is the Bible calling on us to trust or have faith in Him, but He acts in a manner that creates trust, and so in our relationships with one another it is appropriate to consider God as the model from which to learn. 6.  I confess that my thoughts about this are in their elementary stages and so I do not have a systematic and well thought out idea to present.  What I would like to do is to wander around with you through some concepts that seem to be critical to the building of trust relationships.  I am sure that you could come up with a list of similar concepts that would be just as valid and significant as mine.  These are not in any particular order.  I will address them in the order that they came to my mind.  Necessarily the concepts are overlapping and may be even considered as synonymous, but hopefully they will help us understand something of what it takes to build trust in another individual. 7.  Keep in mind that we are asking, “What does God do that leads me to trust Him?” and “How can I use this to help others trust me?”

Discussion:

I.  Constancy.

A.  When something or someone is constant they are consistently the same.  We may have an old vehicle that we call “Old Reliable.”  It may not be pretty, fast or powerful, but it always works.

B.  That this is a characteristic trait of God is evidenced in a variety of ways in Scripture.

1.  “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17).

a.  No variation or shifting shadow.

b.  Note that this is in a context identifying him as the giver of good gifts (cf. Heb. 11:6, “rewarder”).

2.   “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever.”

a.  Sameness produces confident expectations.  As one has been in the past so they will be in the future.

b.  Note that this is spoken with a warning “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings” (Heb. 13:9).  The constancy of His teaching results in our faith in Him and the teaching.  Cf. Eph. 4:11-16.

C.  Constancy is an element associated with trust (faith) in relationships.

1.  God is constant.  That means that we are able to count on Him.

2.  Constancy in our relationships with one another builds trust.

3.  When you promise someone something do you follow through or oscillate?  If you set an appointment do you make it?  Illustrate with Bible study for those not yet Christians.

4.  Traditions are a form of constancy.  Holiday traditions.  Worship traditions:  assembling, the Lord’s Supper, gospel meetings, etc.

5.  Constancy builds trust.

II.  Dependability.

A.  Might be considered the same as constancy.  It is certainly related.

B.  Because someone is constant does not necessarily mean that you want to depend upon them.  They may be constantly unreliable.

C.  God is dependable.

1.  This may be the aspect of God’s nature that the Psalmist refers to when he identifies God as “the rock of our salvation” (Psa. 95:1).

2.  Psa. 125 :1-2 is suggestive of a similar idea.

3.  Psa. 1 contrasts the one who walks in the way of the Lord as like a tree firmly planted by the water with the wicked who are like chaff which the wind drives away. In this text the law of the Lord provides stability and grounding for those that walk in His counsel.

4.  Heb. 13:5:  “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (cf. Deut. 31:6, 8).

D.  Are you dependable?  In your marriage?  In your family relationships?  In your relationships with your friends?  In your relationships with those that you intend to influence with the gospel?

III.  Truthfulness.

A.  A liar and a deceiver is not one you want to trust.  His intent is to take advantage of you, to position himself in a power position over you.

B.  God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18).   Both of these passages have reference to the promises that God has made.  He always follows through on what He has promised.

1.  He made promises to Abraham (Heb. 6:13-18).

2.  It is not the making of promises that produces faith in us.  It is the execution of what He has promised.

C.  Speaking truth characterizes the people of God (Eph. 4:25; cf. Matt. 5:33-37; 23:16-22).

D.  If you want people to trust you you cannot lie to them.

1.  Do what you say you are going to do.

2.  Don’t over commit.

3.  Psa. 15:4 refers to the one who abides in the Lord’s tent who “swears to his own hurt and does not change.”

E.  Do the people you know know you as a truth teller?  Or are you known for your oscillation?

IV.  Sensitivity and understanding.

A.  Who places their trust in one who is insensitive and does not understand?

B.  Heb. 4:14-16 defines Jesus, our High Priest, as one “who can sympathize with our weaknesses, who has been tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin.”

C.  It is easier to place our trust in someone whom we perceive as understanding our situation and yet who has risen above it.

V.  Self-sacrificing for me, having my interest in mind.

A.  We are looking for those that give attention to our circumstances, especially those that we

perceive as willing to put our interests above their own personal interests.

B.  The Lord has given His son for us.  Paul asks, “If he did not spare his own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).

C.  In the marriage relationship partners give themselves to the other in a self-sacrificing trust relationship (Eph. 5:22-25) patterned after Christ’s relationship with the church.

D.  Parents, friends do similarly.

E.  If you want to win people for the Lord demonstrate His self-sacrificing spirit to them in your actions.  This creates the environment for them to come to trust you.  But you better be genuine with it, otherwise they will see you as a deceiver and a manipulator and one attempting to take advantage of them.  They cannot trust you.

Conclusion:

1.  Sometimes things happen in our lives that make it difficult to trust.  Someone has betrayed us.  Promised but did not deliver.  Taken advantage of us.  Our tendency is to withhold trust from them and often from everyone.  We are hesitant even to trust the Lord. 2.  Sometimes we look at our own circumstances in life.  When we go through difficult we ask, “Is the Lord with me or not?” 3.  These are times when trust (faith) is tested.  This is what the book of Job is about.  David wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psa. 23:4). 4.  Examine the traits of the Lord.  Trust Him. 5.  Model yourself after Him and others will trust you.