The Gateway to Trust! Humility of thought is the key to unlocking Unity.

Lesson Transcript

We can actually build trust by our thoughts. Trust is achieved, I believe, through humility of thought. Remember, our thoughts either build trust or break trust. Only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Now, I was thinking of this: if our thoughts are the gateway to trust, and how we think is the gateway, only then is our conduct worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

If we're doing something else other than that, we're thinking something else, then our conduct isn't going to be worthy of the Gospel of Christ. A Christian people aren't willing to bring their thoughts under that kind of scrutiny. Are we willing to do that? Are we willing to bring our thoughts and how we—what we think of others—under that kind of discipline and that kind of scrutiny? I think it's the antidote. It's the gateway to trust. Good morning, everyone. Good to be here this morning.

So David asked what the title of my message is, and the title of my message is The Gateway to Trust. Over the years, I've had actually a fair amount of people come and talk to me and ask me, "How do people keep trust in the church?" There's trust loss, whether it's trust in relationships, trust in marriages, trust in churches. And this thing has always went around in my mind, like, "What's the answer to that? How do you respond? How do you keep trust? How do you build trust? How do you reclaim trust?

Bring it back?" So a couple of weeks ago, I had a—or actually, this year, I read a book on the speed of trust, and I tried to share a message on it, and it opened up my eyes to the vast problem in our society and culture that trust is broken at many, many levels. And so I was thinking of that. What's the antidote to that? What's the answer to that? Where do you go?

I had literally three elders come and say, "How do you build trust up once it's broken?" And the other question was, "How do you keep trust?" And so this thing's been going around in my mind for several years, and I have a short message I would like to share on it that I think I found some answers, and I'd like to give it to you. The thing that I find interesting is the simplicity of the answer. And I think God in His kingdom has given us an answer how to build trust, how to keep trust, and what to do with it.

So my title is The Gateway to Trust. Our thoughts is the gateway to trust. Now, I don't know what you think when you think of that, that our thoughts is the gateway to trust. I'd like to read something. "Fish discover water last. For fish, water simply is. It's their environment. It surrounds them. They are so immersed in its presence, they're unaware of its existence until it becomes polluted or nonexistent.

Then the immediate and dramatic consequence makes it quickly apparent that quality water is absolutely essential for their well-being. Without it, fish will die. In the same way, people discover trust last. Trust is the integral part of the fabric of our society and, more importantly, our churches. We depend on it. We take it for granted unless it becomes polluted or destroyed. Then we come to the stark realization that trust may well be as vital to our own well-being as water is to a fish.

Without trust, society, people groups, and churches close and will ultimately self-destruct." I think that's a great analogy. So the gateway to trust, again, is through our thoughts. Our thoughts can either break or bring trust. And what's interesting, trust and unity start to kind of interchange back and forth. And I never knew which word to use. But our thoughts either break or bring trust. I'm going to go to a familiar verse in Philippians. You guys can turn to the book of Philippians if you'd like.

This verse, curiously, has been read, I think, the last three Sundays in our church, if I remember right. So I don't know if we're supposed to be hearing a lot about it. But when I read the book of Philippians, a light bulb came on with this whole issue. It's been a while since I've been actually really, really inspired about it. And anyone that brings me a question, I feel like I have an answer. In Philippians 4:8, I'm going to start with this verse, probably the most familiar one.

"It's finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there's any virtue and if there's anything praiseworthy, we're to meditate on these things." Now, the word finally at the beginning of this verse is more than just something to remember or just something that he's kind of finishing up on.

It actually has the idea that from now on or henceforth, this is what we're to think about. This is what we're to think about and do. So that's the word finally there. I think it's a better translation when you think of it, from now on. And what's interesting about this idea is why I think it's through the gateway to trust is through our thoughts, is I think there's a tendency to look at this verse and we individualize it. I'm to think things that are noble, things of good report.

I'm to think of things that are virtue and anything that's praiseworthy. I think that's a good place to start. And I think we're the only ones that can individually change. We are the ones that control what we think about. But it's also a bigger issue, a bigger picture than just me doing it. I'm the only one that can change. But this thing is to happen in a collective sense. And when you read the book of Philippians, what I find interesting is this call is how the church is to look at those two people.

So when they look at them, they're to think on things that all the virtue that they find, and they're to think on things that are praiseworthy about them. Now, think about that if there's a dispute between two people, and if they think on things that are virtuous about one another and they're reunited, but if the rest of the church doesn't, what happens to a situation like that? There's a big division in the church.

And so many churches over the generations have split and divided because the church collectively didn't do this. When they looked at those two people that's having a dispute, they didn't think on things that are virtuous and think on things that are trustworthy. Our thoughts are the gateway to trust and unity. We hold that key, the master key. So the takeaway I want you to think of this verse is that it's not necessarily individually. Yes, that's where it starts.

We're the only person that can change, but we're to think of it collectively if we want something to be—if we want to keep trust and build trust. Remember, our thoughts either build trust or break trust. Another verse is in Philippians 1:27. It says, "Only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ." Now, I was thinking of this. If our thoughts are the gateway to trust and how we think is the gateway, only then is our conduct worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

If we're doing something else other than that, we're thinking something else, then our conduct isn't going to be worthy of the Gospel of Christ. I find it interesting that I think there's a lot of Christian people who aren't willing to bring their thoughts under that kind of scrutiny. Are we willing to do that? Are we willing to bring our thoughts and what we think of others under that kind of discipline and that kind of scrutiny? I think it's the antidote. It's the gateway to trust.

And I think it's a beautiful and powerful thing. It's interesting. We hear lots of sermons about giving up for Christ and giving your life for Christ, and we're going to sell everything for Christ. But are we willing to do the hard things, the difficult things? It says, "So that whether I come and see you or I'm absent, I may hear of your affairs." So the writer is saying, whether he's with them or whether he's absent, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together with the faith of the Gospel.

We're to meditate on things that are virtue and things that are of good report, things that are trustworthy. Trust is achieved, I believe, through humility of thought. I think it's a powerful thought. I think it's exciting to think about. We can actually build trust by our thoughts. Therefore, if there's any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and one mind.

And this thing is in light of—when you read Philippians, it's in light that we're to have one mind by how we think of one another. So how we think of one another, I think, is just powerful. And I think we're missing maybe the antidote to trust that we want.

And we know that when people groups and culture, churches, when they're united and they're trustworthy, when you look at the group of apostles that went out, they were able to change the world, I think, because of their unity, because of the trust they had in one another. "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition and conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Now, I found something out here when I was reading this. I've heard this thought before that Christ became obedient unto death, and that's true.

And we're to be willing to do that. But it's in light of his reputation. Our thoughts, when someone says something wrong, inaccurate about us, what's our temptation? To go out and defend it, to make it right. What did Jesus do? He didn't seem to defend himself. He made himself of no reputation. And so he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death. And I think we need to be the same way in our thoughts. And I think that's why it's the gateway. It's the antidote to trust and unity.

And I don't know if I've ever made the connection before between laying down our reputation and our life and our thoughts of others. We either build or we break trust through our thoughts. I think the Philippian church achieved trust and unity through humility, the power of bringing our thoughts captive. The Bible talks about that out of the heart or out of the mouth, the heart speaketh. It's true. What we think about, we talk about. It's true. We can't deny it. And we hold that master key.

And I think it's exciting that we live in a world, in a culture that knows very little about trust. Everything's polarized at all levels. And here we sit, as a group of people. The God of the universe has given us the antidote, the gateway to bringing people together. And it's through ways that most people aren't willing to follow. Most people aren't willing to bring their thoughts into that kind of scrutiny and that kind of discipline. But if we do it, we can change the world. We can influence the world.

But we have to do it. We have to start with ourselves, and we have to do it. I think it's exciting to think about. If we're willing to take the narrow path of this, we can influence not just Chambersburg, but many places, many people far and wide. Now, I have a quote, and I promise I won't bring this quote up again. But this quote is the best quote I've ever had. So I almost have to apologize for it.

"There's a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." So my call to us and my encouragement is, are we striking at the branches of evil or the root? And if we learn to bring our thoughts into captive and we think on things that are virtuous and things that are trustworthy, I think we're striking at the root and building trust and unity like the world has never seen. And I think Jesus, the example of that was with his apostles. I think part of the problem comes back.

When you look the word trust up in the Bible, you don't really find it relating to church necessarily. Almost all the verses that has the word trust in it is that trusting in the Lord. So my question is, or my encouragement is, if we claim to trust in the Lord, then let's obey what he asks us to do. Let's do the hard things of bringing our thoughts into that kind of scrutiny. Proverbs 3:5 says this, and I think this is a really neat verse.

"So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man if you trust in the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." What a powerful verse. It's so easy if there's a problem, if there's disagreements, if our reputation's at stake to come out swinging. Jesus didn't. And God gave him—he's the king of the kingdom of God. He gave him everything. He didn't submit himself to Satan. We in the same way, he wants to make us kings and priests.

In the same way, if we take this gateway to trust and trust in the Lord, do what he says, it says, "We will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man." That's what we all want, right? So let's not lean on our own understanding. Let's trust in the Lord with all of our heart. "In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Beautiful thought.