The Faithfulness of God

Transcript

THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD
September 6, 2016 Titus Tuesday Jackie Southwick

* Romans 1:19-21 ~ Everyone has enough information to know there IS a God.
* We MUST have a correct view of God based on His revelation of Himself in Scripture.
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. For this reason, the (most serious) question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most significant fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.”
~ A.W. Tozer
* What we think about God will influence our lives in every way possible.
* We MUST understand who God is and how He operates in as clear a way as we understand the Gospel.
* To study God’s attributes is not a gathering of facts and statistics about God
* True study of God’s attributes is to see ALL of life through the lens of God Himself.

WHAT DOES “GOD IS FAITHFUL” MEAN?
* Definition of faithfulness ~ strict or thorough in the performance of duty; true to one’s word, promises, and vows; reliable, trusted or believed

* Lamentations 3:22-23 ~ God intends for us to wake up each and every morning aware of His perfect faithfulness.
o “hesed” ~ Hebrew word meaning loyal love for His people and translated as “lovingkindness”. It encompasses not only His loyal love and kindness, but also His grace, mercy, goodness, forgiveness, truth, compassion and faithfulness.

* James 1:17 ~ God is perfectly and eternally faithful.

WHEN THE PRESSURE IS ON, HOW CAN I REMEMBER THAT HE IS FAITHFUL?
* He is Immutable
o God will not ever change, and in fact, He cannot change.
o He is faithful to His own character. All of His attributes work in harmony.
o Malachi 3:6 ~ “For I, the Lord, do not change.”
o Hebrews 13:8 ~ “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

* He is absolutely Uninfluenced
o NOTHING can force God to act in a way that is not faithful to Himself and to us.

* He is Infinite
o God has always had and will always have all of the information, power and wisdom to say and do exactly what He intends.
o ONLY God can say, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand.” Isaiah 14:24

IN WHAT WAYS IS GOD FAITHFUL?
* He is faithful to His word
o Deuteronomy 7:9 ~ God will always and forever keep His word to us.

* He is faithful to ALL sinners
o 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 ~ God will judge those who refuse to repent and turn to Him just as He said.
o 1 John 1:9 ~ God will faithfully continue to forgive those who have turned to Him for salvation.

* He is faithful to His plan of redemption
o Romans 8:29-30 ~ He alone has secured our salvation and He will complete His work in us.

* He is faithful to His creation
o Genesis 8:22 ~ He sustains His creation.

HOW CAN I REMEMBER HIS FAITHFULNESS WHEN LIFE GETS HARD?
* Do your homework!
o Study Him, meditate on Him…KNOW HIM.

* God is faithful when I am tempted
o 1 Corinthians 10:13 ~ He will always faithfully give me the strength to endure temptation or the way of escape. I must turn to Him instead of to sin.

* God is faithful when I am discouraged
o 1 Thessalonians 5:24 ~ “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
o Philippians 1:6 ~ “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

“While we may not be conquering a land, we have the same choice when faced with problems and obstacles. The question is: will we start with God’s faithfulness and power in mind? ~ Dr. David Jeremiah



REFERENCES:
~ God is More Than Enough, Jim Berg
~ Our Awesome God, John MacArthur
~ The Attributes of God, Arthur W. Pink
~ The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer
~ The Attributes of God, Volume Two, A. W. Tozer