Thesis
True trust is both a noun and a verb: a bold confidence that expresses itself in action. Pastor Bill traces this idea through Psalm 119 and the friendship of David and Jonathan, showing that God is the only perfectly trustworthy One because His Word and His ways are one. By anchoring our deepest relationships in a shared trust of God — and by understanding that broken trust requires sacrifice, boundaries, consistency, and faith to rebuild — we can become the kind of people whose ways genuinely match our words, just as Jesus, the Word made flesh, perfectly modeled for us.
Key points
- 1
Trust is both a noun and a verb — a bold, confident security that must be followed by action; if you want the feeling of trust, you have to see it lived out.
- 2
Psalm 119 sits at the center of Scripture and declares from A to Z that God's Word is completely trustworthy and should be the central anchor of our lives.
- 3
Our deepest relationships should be with people who also want to trust God, because as we both focus on Him we naturally grow closer together and build real trust.
- 4
Jonathan's willingness to hand David his robe and sword — symbolically surrendering his claim to the throne — shows that real trust costs something and requires checking our ego against God's plan.
- 5
Saul's double-mindedness — saying he trusted God while refusing to accept God's plan — made him unstable, jealous, and ultimately untrustworthy in all his ways.
- 6
Rebuilding broken trust requires four things: establishing boundaries, making sacrifices (usually of pride), demonstrating consistency over time, and ultimately stepping out in faith.
- 7
God proved Himself the most trustworthy by giving His Son for people who had nothing to offer — the cross is the ultimate reason to trust Him with every area of life.
Outline
Introduction: The Bathtub Illustration
Pastor Bill uses the image of his children turning away during a hair-rinse — and getting soap in their eyes as a result — to introduce the sermon's theme: we suffer when we refuse to trust and look away from God.
Defining Trust
Trust is defined both as a noun (firm belief) and a verb (action based on that security); the big idea is stated: trust is real when our ways match our words.
Psalm 119 — God's Word as the Foundation of Trust
Pastor Bill walks through selected verses of Psalm 119, explaining its A-to-Z structure and its placement at the center of Scripture as a declaration that God's Word is completely trustworthy and should shape our deepest relationships.
David and Jonathan — A Picture of Trust-Anchored Friendship
Through 1 Samuel 18, Pastor Bill shows that love is the context, commitment is the promise, and trust is the anchor of any relationship — and that Jonathan's selfless surrender of his royal claim is the model of trust rooted in God.
Saul — The Cost of Double-Mindedness
Moving into 1 Samuel 19, Pastor Bill contrasts Saul's repeated vows and betrayals with Jonathan's costly loyalty, showing how refusing to trust God makes a person unstable and untrustworthy toward others.
Rebuilding Broken Trust — Sacrifice, Boundaries, Consistency, and Faith
Pastor Bill offers four practical steps for restoring trust after it has been broken, using marriage and pornography as concrete examples, and distinguishing forgiveness from reconciliation while calling both parties to their respective responsibilities.
The Cross — The Ultimate Reason to Trust God
Returning to Psalm 119:143 and John 3:16, Pastor Bill declares that God proved His trustworthiness by giving His Son for those who had nothing to offer, and calls the congregation to stop looking down and instead look up to the cross.
Memorable moments
Trust is when our ways match our words
You can't trust something you don't know
Trust really comes down to this. Can I count on you to be there for me when you have nothing to gain? And even sometimes it's gonna cost you to be there for me
It takes one to forgive. It takes two to reconcile. And it takes time for trust. Trust takes a long time to build. It takes a second to destroy
as pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands
Stop looking down and getting soap in your eyes. Look up to the cross and let his love wash you clean every single time
Application
Pastor Bill calls everyone to an honest self-examination: where do your words say 'I trust God' while your ways tell a different story? The first step is to look up — toward the cross, toward God's Word — instead of turning away in fear. Practically, this means letting Psalm 119 become the daily anchor of your life, not just a resource for easy moments. It means building your closest friendships with people who are genuinely heading in God's direction. And if trust has been broken in a key relationship, it means doing the hard, ego-checking work of setting real boundaries, making real sacrifices, staying consistent, and eventually stepping back into faith. God modeled all of this first: He gave everything for people who had nothing to offer. That is the reason — and the power — to trust Him with your money, your relationships, your habits, and your whole life.
