KNOWING
GOD
KNOWING GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
Knowing God #5
God is faithful.
Even when we don’t think that God is faithful, He is faithful. As we continue
our series on “Knowing God”, we want to share with you another characteristic
of our wonderful God. This morning we
want to talk about “Knowing God’s Faithfulness”, and showing you seven ways in
which God is faithful
It is especially important for us as Christians to
know how faithful God is. It will keep
us from discouragement when tough times come, and it will encourage us to be
faithful ourselves. This morning I would
like to share with you seven ways God is faithful based on the Scriptures.
FAITHFUL TO KEEP
Deuteronomy 7:9 - Know
therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth
covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a
thousand generations;
This verse was first written for the nation
The two verses before Deuteronomy 7:9 show
Now let’s update this thought for you and I who know
Jesus as Savior. God didn’t save us
because we were great or famous, or deserving. We are all sinners who deserve
the punishment of hell.
In His love and mercy God saved us, declared us as
righteous in His eyes, forgave our sins, and declared us to be His
children.
We don’t deserve it, but He did it.
And now, according to Deuteronomy 7:9, we see that God
is faithful to keep covenant and mercy to those that love and keep his
commandments.
God keeps his covenant or promises.
God promises to save those who put their trust in His
Son. John 3:16
God promises peace to those who trust in Him and
commit their problems to Him. Philippians 4:6-7
God promises to meet the needs of His saints.
Philippians 4:19
God, the Son, promises never to leave us. John 14:18
God promises to take care of us. Psalm 121:7-8
God is faithful to keep His promises to us.
FAITHFUL TO CALL
1 Corinthians 1:9 - God
is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ
our Lord.
If you are saved, God has called you. Romans 8:29-30
God faithfully called us into the fellowship of His
Son.
·
There is the fellowship that we are able to have with
the Lord Jesus as we abide in Him. He is
present with us every moment and wants us to stay close to Him. What a
privilege it is to talk to Him at anytime, in any place, and in every
situation. John 15:4,7
·
There is also the fellowship in God’s Son that causes
us to fellowship with each other. We are
all members of the body of Christ, and we are to work together and to care for
each other as part of the body. There
should be a fellowship with each other, a “having in common” that makes fellow
Christians near and dear.
·
We are also called into a fellowship with God’s Son
that will mean us being with Him forever.
1 John 3:2-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Just think! If God hadn’t been faithful to call us we
wouldn’t be saved.
If God hadn’t been faithful to call us we wouldn’t
have fellowship with Christ.
If God hadn’t been faithful to call us we would not
have fellowship with Jesus and with each other right now.
If God hadn’t been faithful to call us we would not
look forward to fellowship with the Lord Jesus in Heaven for all eternity.
FAITHFUL TO DELIVER
1 Corinthians 10:13 - There
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
When we are tempted, God is faithful.
He knows exactly when, where, and what to send as help
in every situation.
God will always provide a way out of temptation
exactly when needed.
I am impressed that God sends to us a way to escape.
It is up to us to take the way that God provides.
I think of Joseph who ran when Potiphar’s
wife wanted to seduce Him.
And I think of Samson who hung around Delilah when he
knew that she was trying to discover the secret of his great strength. He
should have run too, and surely God had provided for Samson a way of escape.
If our building were on fire, and I say, “Quickly,
everyone calmly file out of this door”, the way of escape would be provided.
However if you just sit there and don’t take the way provided, you would burn
up in the fire.
When you are tempted, God provides the way of escape.
Make sure that you take it.
FAITHFUL TO PERFORM
1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 - Rejoice evermore. [17] Pray without ceasing.
[18] In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you. [19] Quench not the Spirit. [20] Despise not prophesyings. [21] Prove all things; hold fast that which
is good. [22] Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Here are some familiar words.
These words are reminders as to how we should live as
Christians.
These words are really keys to holy living.
As we practice them, we will be sanctified, set apart
or holy.
[23] And the very God of peace sanctify you
wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
It was Paul’s prayer that Christians be set apart
totally unto God. And that in the end
our entire spirits, souls, and bodies would be preserved blameless until Jesus
comes.
The encouraging thing here is that the God who has
called us to holiness will see us through to the end. Not only will He enable
us to live holy lives here on earth, but He will bring us into His presence,
totally holy, totally set apart for Him.
Jude 1:24-25
God is faithful to perform. He will preserve us as Holy unto
Himself.
FAITHFUL TO INTERVENE
Hebrews 2:17 - Wherefore
in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
You have probably intervened in behalf or someone more
than once in your life. And probably
someone has intervened for you.
When it comes to God, all of us need someone to
intervene for us.
We are all sinners who have failed God.
We need someone to speak for us in behalf of God.
In
God provided a greater high priest for us.
He sent his Son, the Lord Jesus in human form to the
earth.
It was here that Jesus learned what is
was like to be human, so He could knowledgably intervene for us as high
priest.
Most important He offered the blood sacrifice for our
sins.
When we Christians sin today, Jesus is present at the
Throne of God to intervene in our behalf.
1 John 2:1-2 - My
little children, these things write I unto you, that
ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous: [2] And he is the propitiation
for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Be encouraged that Jesus is always in the presence of
the Father as our great High Priest, faithful to intervene.
FAITHFUL TO FORGIVE
1 John 1:9 - If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
You often hear me quote this verse.
Please don’t take it lightly.
Most of us can forgive minor offenses against us
without even thinking about it.
Sometimes we struggle to forgive what we call major
offenses against us or someone we love.
It is not always easy for us to forgive, even when we
know we should.
1 John 1:9 tells us that God is faithful to
forgive.
If we are Christians we know that when we sin against
God, fellowship with Him is broken.
When we confess our sins, naming them specifically
before God He is faithful to forgive them.
He forgives the big sins and the little ones.
And God does not limit how many times we can come to
God and be cleansed for our sins.
Don’t think, Christian that you have ever sinned more
than God can forgive.
Although God hates sin, He as God forgives and
cleanses us when we come sincerely confessing our
sins.
Praise God for this kind of faithfulness.
FAITHFUL TO THE END – Lamentations 3:22-23
Lamentations
You who know Christ as Savior can be confident that
His compassions will never fail, that He will be faithful to you to the
end. Indeed, God is faithful to the end.
John 14:2-3, Psalm 23:6
FAITHFUL TO KEEP
FAITHFUL TO CALL
FAITHFUL TO DELIVER
FAITHFUL TO PERFORM
FAITHFUL TO INTERVENE
FAITHFUL TO FORGIVE
FAITHFUL TO THE END