This month we have focused on the subject of faithfulness. We have discussed faithfulness to our faith, our church, our family, and a ministry. Today we look at a different aspect of faithfulness. We consider God’s faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is both hard to comprehend and inspiring. It is hard to comprehend that God would be faithful to us. That does not sound logical. God does not need anyone. God is not dependent on anyone. God is not accountable to anyone. However, the Bible teaches that God is a faithful God. This concept is inspiring! God is faithful! That is wonderful!
In beginning I must acknowledge that the faithfulness of God is a very deep and complex subject. I looked up the word God in Nave’s Topical Bible. Under the word God I looked up the word faithfulness. There are over 125 references to God’s faithfulness in Nave’s. That list is not comprehensive. I would not pretend to be able to cover this subject in one sermon. In fact, I would never pretend to be able to cover the subject at all. It is incomprehensible.
Kids recognize that some things are incomprehensible.
A father was at the beach with his children when his four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand.
’Daddy, what happened to him?’ the son asked. ’He died and went to Heaven,’ the Dad replied. The boy thought a moment and then said, ’Did God throw him back down?’ The boy had trouble comprehending death.
A three year old girl named Reese prayed this prayer: ’Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name. Amen.’ She had trouble comprehending the Lord’s prayer.
Some thing about God are hard to comprehend. The things we know about God come from the Bible.
I want to read three passages of scripture and then make a few simple statements about God’s faithfulness. Our primary focus today is acknowledging God’s faithfulness. First, join me in reading three passages of scripture.
“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lam. 3:21-23
“He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” I Th. 5:24
“If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” II Tim. 2:12,13
Those are the three scriptures. Now, I want to make four simple statements about God’s faithfulness and ask you to join me in affirming these four truths.
1. God is faithful to the people who love Him.
"Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Deut. 7:9) This text illustrates God’s faithfulness to His people. We need to know that God is faithful to His people.
The Velcro Effect is a term that I believe describes the relationship between God’s Faithfulness to us and our need for Him. In 1948, a Swiss mountaineer named George Mestral was walking through the woods and was very frustrated by the burs that clung to his clothes. While picking them off, he realized that it may be possible to use this principle to make a fastener to compete with the zipper. Velcro was inspired by the natural sticking properties of burrs. If you look at a velcro strip, you’ll notice that it has two parts to it: a strip that has a web of tiny hooks; and a strip that has a web of tiny interwoven hoops. These two strips are a match for each other and when you join them together the hooks "catch" the loops and they become meshed together in a very strong bond.
(SOURCE: Darren Ethier in "The Velcro Effect" on www.sermoncentral.com. Citation: The Useless Information Site, "ZIPPERS & VELCRO." Contributed to Sermon Central by SermonCentral PRO)
Deut. 7:9 says God is faithful to those “who love Him and keep His commandments.” I lead you in affirming that God is faithful to His people. Would you repeat after me, God is faithful to His people!
We affirm, God is faithful to those who love Him.
Joke: A 54 year-old woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she had a near death experience.
Seeing God she asked ’Is my time up?’ God said, ’No, you have another 43
years, 2 months and 8 days to live.’
Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a
face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck. She even had
someone come in and change her hair color and brighten her teeth!
Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well.
After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While
crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.
Arriving in front of God, she demanded, ’I thought you said I had
another 43 years? Why the heck didn’t you pull me out of the path of the
ambulance?’
God replied: ’I didn’t recognize you!’
2. God is faithful to His own character. In II Timothy Paul says “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” (II Tim. 2:12,13)
Illustration: One day C. H. Spurgeon was walking through the English countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At the top of the vane were the words: GOD IS LOVE. Spurgeon remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. "Weather vanes are changeable," he said, "but God’s love is constant.” "I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles," replied his friend. "You misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating a truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love."
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Jeff Strite)
Would you join me in affirming that God is faithful to His character? Please repeat after me, God is faithful to His character.
3. God is faithful to His plans. When bad things happen some people are quick to question God’s plans.
A. The occurrence of bad things does not mean God has abandoned his plans. The occurrence of bad things may be a sign that God’s plan is being fulfilled. In the book of Genesis we read where God made a covenant with Noah. God promised Noah that he would be faithful to that covenant. He also said there were going to be a lot of people killed because of a flood. The people who drowned in the flood must have thought God had abandoned His love for people. The contrary was true. The flood was evidence of God’s plan. (Gen. 6:18)
B. God’s plans will be fulfilled.
There is a legend which recounts the return of Jesus to Heaven after His time on earth. Even in heaven He bore the marks of His earthly pilgrimage with its cruel cross and shameful death. The angel Gabriel approached Him and said, "Master, you must have suffered terribly for men down there." "I did," He said. "And," continued Gabriel, "do they know all about how you loved them and what you did for them?" "Oh, no," said Jesus, "not yet. Right now only a handful of people in Palestine know." Gabriel was perplexed. "Then what have you done," he asked, "to let everyone know about your love for them?" Jesus said, "I’ve asked Peter, James, John, and a few more friends to tell other people about me. Those who are told will in turn tell other people about me, and my story will be spread to the farthest reaches of the globe. Ultimately, all of mankind will have heard about my life and what I have done." Gabriel frowned and looked rather skeptical. He knew well what poor stuff men were made of. "Yes," he said, "but what if Peter and James and John grow weary? What if the people who come after them forget? What if way down through the centuries people just don’t tell others about you? Haven’t you made any other plans?" And Jesus answered, "I have no other plans. I’m counting on them." (Contributed to Sermon Central by Kevin Higgins)
Would you join me in affirming that God is faithful to His plans? Please repeat after me, God is faithful to His plans!
4. God is faithful to His promises.
In the book of Romans Paul confronts some imaginary opponents. He addresses issues these opponents might raise. One such issue is found in Romans 3. People were questioning God’s faithfulness to Israel. “True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true.” Rom. 3:3-4
Illustration: There is a story told of three little girls who are enjoying an evening of play. They started playing the game of counting their money; the object was to see who had the most and the winner would be crowned queen for the day. The first little girl counted thirteen pennies, the second counted fourteen pennies. The last little girl began to count, she had only fourteen pennies like the second, however she counted fifteen. The other two girls argued with her over the count and they counted again, there were only fourteen, but the last girl insisted on having fifteen. Finally, they asked, "How can you say fifteen when you only have fourteen", she replied, "My father promised me another penny when he comes home from work today". And whatever my father promises me, it’s mine at the moment of the promise. That is the assurance we have with God.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by William Wyne)
Let me mention just two of God’s promises that he always keeps.
A. God is faithful to forgive. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
Chuck Swindoll in "The Grace Awakening" wrote this: If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, So God sent us a Savior!
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Bobby McDaniel)
B. God is faithful to be with us.
In Jesus commission to His disciples He said “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’’ (Mt. 28:19)
In Psalm 23 David said the Lord would be with him in the valley of the shadow of death. (Ps. 23:4)
Tony Campolo tells a story about being in a church in Oregon where he was asked to pray for a man who had cancer. Campolo prayed boldly for the man’s healing. That next week he got a telephone call from the man’s wife. She said, "You prayed for my husband. He had cancer." Campolo thought when he heard her use the past tense verb that his cancer had been eradicated! But before he could think much about it she said, "He died." Compolo felt terrible. But she continued, "Don’t feel bad. When he came into that church that Sunday he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God. He was 58 years old, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that this all-powerful God didn’t take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew towards God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him. It was an awful thing to be in his presence. But the lady told Compolo, "After you prayed for him, a peace had come over him and a joy had come into him. Tony, the last three days have been the best days of our lives. We’ve sung. We’ve laughed. We’ve read Scripture. We prayed. Oh, they’ve been wonderful days. And I called to thank you for laying your hands on him and praying for healing." And then she said something incredibly profound. She said, "He wasn’t cured, but he was healed."
(SOURCE: Tony Campolo, "Year of Jubilee," Preaching Today Tape #212. Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO)
God is faithful to His promises. We serve a God who is faithful. He is true. He is reliable. That is comforting. That is encouraging. Praise God, we serve a God who is faithful to us.
