God is more reliable and dependable, than anyone you could ever meet. Sermon from June 6th 2020
(Greeting)
Sunday June 14th
Today marks the start of week number 13 of our National Quarantine
Things are starting to look good a little bit, but i'm sure something else will go wrong, because everything kind of sucks lately
Weve still been putting out our Weekly Bible Study and Weekly Devotions,
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Today and next Sunday will be the final 2 Sundays of our Sermon Series on the Character and nature of God.
And after that, we’ll be starting a new Series about the different miracles of Jesus.
If you’ve been following along and held at the edge of your seat with riveted attention to our Sermon Series, then you'll know that last week we talked about God being perfectly just.
As in, He will punish all evil and sin, either in hell or on the back of His Son.
We talked about how this can kind of be a hard pill to swallow, because humans always want to be in charge of everything.
And no one likes to hear about people going to hell.
So this morning, were going to try and take it down a notch.
Last week was a little intense, a little scary
My eldest son pointed out that I yelled a few times
Which is weird because ive never yelled, ever ever ever in my entire life
So today, were going to pump the brakes, slow it down, and im going to lob a nice lofty pitch into the air that you can knock out of the park with your eyes closed.
Now, weve been talking about all these differing characteristics of God.
What He’s like
What He isnt like
What He can do
What He cant do
And why all of that matters
Today, were going to take a look at the reality that God is faithful.
To help us do this, our first verse is:
Lamentations 3:22-23 → “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
( → → Opening Prayer ← ← )
Great is thy faithfulness. This morning, were going to look at how God is faithful.
And why that matters
We are not going to be talking about “faith in general”
Were not going to be talking about:
The kind of faith that leads to salvation---
where faith comes from---
why its important---
Or its effect on our daily life---
This is not going to be a Sermon about having Faith in God, or having faith at all.
Its a Sermon about God’s faithfulness ///// about God being faithful
If you remember something that Ive mentioned a few times before, God doesnt HAVE His characteristics and attributes, He IS them.
God doesnt HAVE faithfulness ----
God IS faithful
So if you were to ask yourself, what is God like?
You could answer it by saying “God IS faithful”
----------
So what does this mean?
When a bunch of Christians are talking about faith, most of the time theyre talking about something that we HAVE---
WHY we have it---
WHEN it comes to us---
HOW it comes to us---
But if we want to talk about someone BEING faithful, we need to think differently.
Being faithful, means that someone can depend on you---
It means your word is your bond--
You dont go back on what you say--
You dont say one thing, and then do another---
You dont say one thing, but MEAN another thing---
You dont make claims about how life should be lived, and then live differently than that
A person claiming to be a vegan, who eats cheeseburgers…..would not be a faithful person---
A person claiming to be a Christian, who holds unscriptural ideas and practices as acceptable….would not be a faithful person.
Being faithful means that your inner thoughts, feelings, and emotions ---- match up with your words and actions.
It means you are reliable no matter the situation, no matter whats going on in your life or what the circumstances are.
That is what God is like. God is faithful.
God will never say one thing, but then do another
God will never act one way, but then act n a contrary way to it
God is utterly and completely dependable and reliable
God---is---faithful
Now, a little analogy to help us:
Try and recall a time when you saw a baby taking its first steps.
Either your own child, a sibling, or on a movie
For us parents, its something were going to remember for a long long time
The unstable little legs--
The wobbly head--
Yes they may have been standing up for quite some time
Able to stand there and balance without moving, but when it came time to walk, they failed and fell.
They fell down, but only to crawl over to that piece of furniture or that parent, and pull themselves up again.
And when they finally do take that first step, theyre faces explode in joy.
They look at their mom or their dad, and take another step, and then another
Onward they push, getting closer and closer to their parent’s arms------- with no shadow of doubt that their mom or dad will turn their back
In their tiny developing little brain, and their tiny developing little heart, that child knows that they can rely on their parent to catch them
To keep their arms there---
To not move or trip them---
To not intentionally set them up for failure---
That child, taking its first steps, knows that their Parent IS faithful
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There is a picture, in my daughters room, of me doing that thing that all dads do, and that all moms and grandmothers hate.
I am tossing her up in the air, and then catching her.
She loved it, because she had faith------that I was faithful to catch her and make sure she was safe.
This is something that children have -- woven into them from the time they are babies, straight through to when they themselves have children.
When we were babies, we would go to our parents when were sad, scared, hungry, cold, when our diapers were full, or our feelings were hurt
Children know that their parents are faithful
So when we grow up, and we encounter God---
When we read His words and hear about Him, we can look back on our parents catching us when we fall, loving us through our mistakes, see that they are faithful, and learn that God is faithful
----------
So when we fall and make mistakes, when we give into a sin we swore we never would again-----
We can read the words of:
1 Cor 1:8-9 - “8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
OR
1 Thess 5:23-24 - “23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
God is faithful.
When we repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God is faithful to forgive us of every sinful thought and sinful action, from Conception to the Grave.
There is no sin that would ever cause Him to turn away from us
There is no lie that we could tell that would ever make Him abandon us
He will never leave you, He will never forsake you
God-----is------faithful
Philippians 1:6 says “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”
If God forgave you of your sins, and now dwells within your heart, He is not going to leave you.
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A quick side note, without getting too far off of the topic of God being faithful:
If God will never leave us----
If God will, and has forgave every sin in our life when we repented and believed----
Does that mean then, that we can live however we want?
Does that mean we can ignore what Scripture teaches and endorse and indulge in immoral behavior?
Can we just use God as fire insurance to live however we want, knowing He will HAVE TO forgive us?
Well----
If you have repented of your sins, and believed in Jesus------if the Holy Spirit lives within your heart and continually guides and teaches you------ then you will abhor and turn away------- from what Scripture teaches is sinful.
If you don’t align with Scripture, and your heart doesn’t groan in pain-- over your own sin and the sin in the world, then you need to ask yourself if you honestly believe that the God of all Creation lives within you.
----------
God----is-----faithful
When we repent and turn from our sin ---- He is faithful to help us change and transform
To make us new
To change our thoughts
To change our wants, and desires
To change our hearts
To soften those areas of our soul that have become callused over by the years of hurt that have been forced upon us
God is faithful to fulfill the words of Galatians 2:20 → “...it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me.”
If the Holy Spirit lives within us---then
We can count on God
We can rely on Him
He will always be there for you
He isnt going to lose His temper and then storm off
He isnt going to say “Well, ive had enough of your nonsense, you cant get your crap together---im out”
Our God is faithful
----------
You see, those verses that I quoted earlier, that mentioned God being faithful----have to do with how HIM being faithful, effects US
Because God doesnt HAVE faith, but IS faith, then we can rely on Him to save us, no matter how bad we may have once been.
Lets read those verses again:
1 Cor 1:8-9 - “8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1 Thess 5:23-24 - “23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
When and if you became a Christian----
When the Holy Spirit gave CPR to your dead soul and you came to life----
It became the permanent state of your soul, because of the faithfulness of God.
He will never let you go------because He is faithful
You cannot lose your salvation----because He is faithful
God being faithful, means that He will keep you blameless----because your sins will have had their punishment fulfilled in Christ on the cross
God knows everything, so He knew about your sin before He died for it----- and still chose to die
God is all powerful, so no sin in your life can overpower and prevent Him from saving you-----
God is faithful, so He will never give up on those who repent and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ
If you have repented of your sins and believed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ---then:
No matter how badly the trauma in your life may cause you rage and scream ---- God will be there.
No matter how dark the path may be that you have chosen to walk down, if the Holy Spirit lives within your heart, then God will never leave you
With a calm voice, and a loving hand He will console you---
Holding you and rocking you back and forth like a child who has run to their mother because of their pain and fear
Through thick and thin, He will be there for you
If your life has taken a turn, for whatever reason it has turned that way; by your own choice, or by the choices of someone else-----
No matter what, God will never leave you----because God is faithful
Am I repeating myself enough?
If you have made bad choices----
If a loved one has hurt you-----
If sickness has ravaged its way through your body-----
If someone you love has died----
When trauma and pain control your choices and imprison you within their black walls----
You can look to Him within and through every moment of your life, and He will always be there because He is faithful.
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This can be hard, right?
Its easy to say these things----
Its easy to open our Bibles and read about the faithfulness of God----
But its hard in practice, right?
Its even easier for some people to see the faithfulness of God than other people-------------------- because a lot of us never had that foundational trust in the faithfulness of our parents.
A lot of us never knew a father that would be there for them----
A lot of us never knew a mother that loved them from a bottomless well of compassion----
There is an entire generation of people shaping and pushing society forward that are
Fatherless fathers and
Motherless mothers
We are a generation of:
Sons that have never felt the unlimited compassion of their Mother
And daughters that have never felt the undying protection of their Father
There are sons and daughters whose entire understanding of God has been thrown into the blender of pain and suffering because they never experienced the faithfulness of their parents.
They may have taken a step toward them and were met with open arms, but that was it----
They never saw sacrifice----
They never tried something hard, knowing that their Father or Mother would catch them if they fell-----
They never saw empathy or love
They never saw their parent push them to new heights, or help them explore some new hobby or interest
They were never taught how to hold a piece of silverware let alone experienced the self sacrifice of a parent giving everything in their life for the benefit of their child.
In fact ---------- there are sons and daughters who have been intentionally hurt---by their parents.
Men and women who when faced the reality that the faithfulness of God can be built in their minds around the faithfulness of their parents----get angry and sad and depressed
They hear words like those said this morning, and they react by saying things like:
My father hurt me ---- my father left me ----- my father was never even there!
My mother hurt me -- my mother degraded me -- my mother was never even there!
My parents abandoned me---but you expect me to think that God wont?!
Why would God ever love me, when my own Father didn’t?
Why would God ever care about me, when my own Mother doesn’t?
Why would God lay His life down for someone whose own Parents wouldn’t even think about doing it?
Why would God not leave me, when all I’ve ever known is a parent who leaves.
----------
My only response, is something Ive been saying through this whole Sermon Series:
God is not like us
We fail--
We make mistakes--
We intentionally act in selfish ways, and then use the smallest most miniscule amount of empathy as ammunition to manipulate our victims into thinking we actually care---
We have been unfaithful---
Adultery and divorce plague humanity
We have betrayed people’s trust---
Abusers and predators populate our cities
We have made bad choices that have hurt our friends, family, parents, and children---
We say hurtful things that we dont mean.
And we say hurtful things that we DO mean.
We abandon and neglect our children
Push away our parents
And lie to our friends
Our God is not like us---
Our God, is perfectly, completely, entirely, without end, without wavering, without lessening, without slowing, completely and perfectly faithful
In every sense of the word
And in every area and circumstance of reality
There is no area in which He isnt faithful
There is no set of specifics or gray area that would cause Him to double back on His words
There is no sin that would cause Him to turn His back on you
There is no atrocity that cant be forgiven
Our God, is, faithful
So take heart!
Be strong!
Be bold!
If your Father or your Mother have left you with the imprint of faithlessness ---- do not take that to mean that GOD is unfaithful
When you wake up tomorrow morning, and the challenges of the day stand before you like monsters to be conquered----
When temptation knocks upon your door with demanding ferocity---
When anxiety seeps beneath the door to your heart and makes itself at home---
When everything that our enemy can throw at us, lands in our lap and all we want to do is give up
Take heart in the God that never gives up.
A God who will never abandon His Children---
A God who will teach His children to walk, even though they may trip, He will pick them back up----
A God who will never ignore His children---
A God who will give all of Himself for His children----
Up to an including His own literal life
A God who is perfect, and timeless /// all powerful and all knowing---
A God who is perfectly patient with the mistakes and wanderings of His children, and always working to bring them back to Him, if indeed they are His children.
God is perfectly faithful.
In closing, I would like to ask Jen to come up, shes going to lead us all in a song, after we close in prayer
I’m going to close with Psalm 40------ and throughout this week, I would encourage each of you to pray that God will reveal as much of His faithfulness as you need, to make it through each minute, of each hour, of everyday, until we meet again.
Dont rely on yourself to not mess up or trip up
But rely on God to pick you up when you do.
Psalm 40
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, Lord,
as you know.
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly.
Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
Be pleased to save me, Lord;
come quickly, Lord, to help me.
May all who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”
But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay.
( → → Closing Prayer ← ← )