The Faithfulness of God

Transcription

1 Sunday January 13, 2013 Phone: Pastor David Miklas Message Christian Living #01 Text: I Corinthians 4:1-2 The Faithfulness of God Introduction: In Proverbs 20:6 we read, "Most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness: but a FAITHFUL man who can find?" In I Corinthians 4:1-2 we read, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found FAITHFUL." Now what does the word FAITHFUL mean? In the Old Testament the word faithful comes from the Hebrew word "Aman" The word means "steady or steadfast." Interestingly, the Hebrew word "Aman" sounds similar to our English word Amen. What does Amen mean? It simply means "so be it, or let it be true." Every time we say the word Amen, we give mute testimony to the faithfulness of God. By the way, don't hold it back, don t be one of those locked-jaw Baptists. If God speaks to your heart and blesses you through a testimony, or If God speaks to your heart and blesses you through a song sung, or If God speaks to your heart in the preaching of the Word, let s hear you say it AMEN! Don't hold back, say it AMEN! We are told to do this in Psalm 100:1, Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. The word noise means to SHOUT IT OUT! That is - shout out how good and merciful God is to you. In the New Testament the Greek word for faithful is "pistos" which means "to be STEADFAST, DEPENDABLE and TRUSTWORTHY." Here at the outset of our lesson, let's look at the faithfulness of God. In Deuteronomy 7:9 we read, "Know, therefore, that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God..." In I Thessalonians 5:24 speaking of God we read, Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Let me tell you how faithful God is: Man can predict the ocean's tides for years to come, within minutes, because God is faithful! We know that the next solar eclipse will come on a certain day at a certain time several years from now, because God is faithful! We know that the sun will rise and set almost to the exact second each day, because God is faithful! God is not only faithful in the realm of creation, but more importantly, as far as we are concerned; in the realm of the lives of His own children. In difficult economic times like now, God is faithful. In times of tragedy and sickness and sorrow, God is faithful. As He has been faithful in the past and is faithful in the present, He will be faithful in the future, because God is faithful!! You can't trust your employer, but you can trust your Savior, because God is faithful! You can't trust your closest friend, but you can trust your heavenly Father, because God is faithful! You can't trust yourself, but you can trust the Lord, because God is faithful! You can't trust in tomorrow, but you can trust in the God of tomorrow, because God is faithful! Page 1

2 God is faithful in His nature. In Psalm 36:5 we read, "Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds." You know God is always faithful because he is always in the NOW. God is always PRESENT, and He has no problem with the FUTURE, because He is the ETERNAL PRESENCE. Remember Lamentations 3:22-23, "It is because of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS." Great is thy faithfulness O God my Father, There is no Shadow of turning with thee, Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not. As thou has been, thou forever will be. Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed, thy hand hath provided, GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS LORD UNTO ME." Faithfulness is a part of God's being. It is absolutely impossible that God could be unfaithful. God is faithful, not was, or shall be, or might be, but WHO IS. Amen! God is faithful as the enduring God. In Psalm 100:5 we read, "For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all generations." When God refers to Himself in such a manner, God is not just declaring His existence in past generations; He is reminding us that as He was to those in the past, He will continue to be to us today. God is faithful in His truth. In Revelation 3:14 we read, "And unto the Angel of the church of the Laodician write, These things saith the AMEN, the FAITHFUL, and the TRUE WITNESS." God is faithful in providing relief from our temptations and trials. I Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL, who will not suffer (permit) 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." God is faithful as a refuge from evil. In I Thessalonians 3:3 we read, "But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil." Not only does God take us through the temptations of life, but He also promises to keep us from those temptations of evil. We get into enough trouble because of our old sin nature, the world and the devil. However, this verse indicates if it weren't for the faithfulness of God we would be facing a lot more battles with the world, our nature and the devil. God is faithful as the eternal security of our faith. In Ephesians 1:13-14 we read, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. We believe that once saved - always saved. The very same God who called you, who saved you through Jesus Christ is the very same God who will preserve you right on into Glory. God is faithful in the forgiveness of our sins. Do you realize that every time we sin we put the faithfulness of God into operation? It is absolutely impossible that God will not forgive you, because if God did, he would lose his faithfulness. Now this doesn't give you a blank check to go out and live like you want to, or to presume upon the HOLINESS and RIGHTEOUSNESS of God. But it does say when you do sin, and you will, even before this night is over some will sin, you can come to God and He will forgive you. Why? Because of I 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." Page 2

3 What a faithful God we have, Amen! Now, since God IS faithful, not IF this is true, but SINCE this is true, then should not there be a response from us? God's faithfulness should be ECHOED in our SINGING. Psalm 89 is a tremendous Psalm on the faithfulness of God. In verses 1-2 we read, "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord FOREVER; with my MOUTH will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy, shall be built up forever, THY FAITHFULNESS shalt thou establish in the very heavens." This same thought is also given in Psalm 92:1-5, It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: (2) To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, (3) Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. (4) For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. (5) O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. Each and every time we sing the hymns of Zion, there should be a ringing forth because of the faithfulness of God. That means sing out, hymns are a way for us to shout out the praises of God. God's faithfulness should be the CONTENT of our PRAISE. In Psalm 89:5-8 we read, And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. (6) For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD? (7) God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. (8) O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? God's faithfulness should be the CONFIDENCE of our PRAYING. In Psalm 143:1 we read, "Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications; in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness." God's faithfulness should be the CAUSE of our STUDY. In Isaiah 25:1 we read, "O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, THY COUNSELS OF OLD ARE FAITHFUL AND TRUE." When we read or study the Word of God we can do so with the absolute confidence that what we are studying is ETERNAL TRUTH and we don't have to have any up-dated material for today, tomorrow, or next week or even next month. You will never have to update the Bible because it is ETERNAL TRUTH. God's faithfulness guarantees it, as Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the WORD OF GOD SHALL STAND FOREVER." We don t have to debate the written and spoken word; we need only to accept it, obey it and live it. Amen! Our response to God for His faithfulness should be ECHOED in singing, the CONTENTS of our praise, the CONFIDENCE of our praying, and the CAUSE of our study. Say, isn't that what we ought to do in our services - SING, PRAISE, PRAY and STUDY? We ought to do this because of the faithfulness of God throughout the week unto us. Let's pause for a few minutes, and let you express how God has been FAITHFUL unto you in the past year: Has there been something with which God has blessed you? Has there been some song with which God has encouraged you? Has there been a portion of scripture that has blessed you? Has there been something in the preached word that has stirred you to say amen? Has there been some area of sin or temptation in your life in which God, in His faithfulness, has dealt with you? Remember the Bible tells us, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so..." So, why not stand up and say so? God is faithful to His commandments and commitments to us. God is saying, Page 3

4 Have not I written it, will I not perform it? Faithfulness is empty without the Word of God. What the Bible says, you can be sure God is going to do it. So what does God's faithfulness have to do with our faithfulness? Let me return to our two opening verses. In Proverbs 20:6, "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a FAITHFUL man who can find?" In I Corinthians 4:1-2, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found FAITHFUL." This means when we commit ourselves to do something, our word ought to be our bond. We ought to be faithful to do what we promise. The statement is: "It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. The question is: "Who can find a faithful man, a man of his word? Who can find a loyal man? Today, that's a big question among God's people. Thank God for many who have been faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and to this ministry. Let me say this, the heart of a pastor is to do what he can do for His people. There are times we wish we could do more than we do. But, there is just so much time and so many people. We wish we could take care of every one of your needs. We wish we could answer every one of your desires. We wish we could do for you everything that you ask to have done, or think that we should do, in the way you think it ought to be done. But the very people we seek to please or help sometimes become the very ones who hurt the pastor and the ministry the most. Personally, I have had a hard time dealing with the unfaithfulness and disloyalty of the very people I have tried to help, and the very people who have pledged themselves to be a vital part of the ministry. Unfaithfulness, disloyalty, sheep-stealers among pastors, (which by the way I have nothing to do with) and church hoppers have not only hurt the individuals doing it, but also the ministries involved and ultimately the cause of Christ in soul winning. The statement is: "It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. The question is: "Who can find a faithful man, a man of his word? As we consider these statements, let me list several areas in which each and every one of us ought to be faithful during this New Year. Number 1: Be FAITHFUL to Christ: Be faithful to the person of Christ in your daily walk of life. "Let your light so shine that others may see the Lord Jesus Christ in you." One young person recently expressed to me, "How can I know that Jesus is real unless I see that He is real in the adults who are to be an example to me as to what a Christian is really like?" By the way, this was a rather young believer. Remember the world is watching. We as believers are to set the Lord Jesus apart in our lives, so that when the world sees us living for Jesus, one day they will ask: "Tell me about the hope you have in Christ?" Number 2: Be FAITHFUL to your Church. This is not a matter of choice or convenience; I believe it is a matter of responsibility and faithfulness. It is even important that a mere child be taught to be faithful to his church. The children and grandchildren of this generation will not uphold our faithfulness unless we encourage and teach them. Because this generation is putting less and less importance on going to church and Page 4

5 listening to preaching, we must be concerned enough to help the next generation. Someone said: and I believe it is so true, "The sermon you needed the most may have been preached during the service you were not present." Someone said: Be loyal to your pastor, someday you or your children will need him, and if there has been disloyalty, criticism, slander or gossip and other traits of disrepute, you will not get the advice or help you or the children at that time so desperately need. Someone said: Unless you build into your children an example of walking your talk even in the church services your child will neither have the talk or the walk of a Christian. What you put the importance upon, so will they. When you just take it or leave it, so will they. As such, they will do less then you do today when it comes to loving God, serving God and living for God. Number 3: Be FAITHFUL to Spiritual Habits. Be faithful to reading your Bible daily. Be faithful to praying daily. Be faithful to loving the Lord daily. Be faithful to yielding daily moment by moment to the Holy Spirit. Number 4: Be FAITHFUL to Duties and Tasks. If you have assumed a job, then be faithful to that job. If you have been assigned a task, then be faithful to that assigned task. It's not to be done at your convenience. When others are counting upon you, it's imperative that you do your duty and perform your task. Be faithful. Number 5: Be FAITHFUL to Principles. Our loyalties should be to principles and not to institutions. Far too many have pledged their faithfulness and loyalty to a church, to a college, to a school, or to a para-church organization. Unfortunately, they tend to change so gradually that we do not notice it; therefore, we change with them. This is the reason we should be married to the Word of God and be found faithful to principles. Is there ever a time we should stop being loyal to a ministry or an institution? Yes, A. When it no longer keeps or preserves the Word of God. B. When it no longer commits to music that honors God. When the music honoring God changes to that of honoring man, it is time to leave. C. When it no longer preserves a position of Biblical ecclesiastical separation, or when it has joined the ranks for the cause of BIG-NESS, or peace and unity with whomever. Now as we begin this New Year, let me return again to our opening verse in Proverbs 20:6, "A faithful man, who can find..." God holds up faithfulness as the supreme virtue that will be given a promotion, Luke 19:17 "Well done thou good servant; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities." God will one day call into account our stewardship and faithfulness, Luke 16:2 "...give an account of thy stewardship..." God expects faithfulness. Again from I Corinthians 4:1-2 we read, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found FAITHFUL." *********************************************************************** If God has spoken to your heart, after reading the sermon "The Faithfulness of God" right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you. Page 5

6 Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in Acts 16:31,...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved... Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation. If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, would you let me know? Please send an to, pdmikbbm@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life. The Weekly SERMON was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover Township, PA Privacy policy: your address will not be sold, or shared with any third party. Copy write permission: Because the Weekly SERMON will be reproduced into other formats, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: The Weekly SERMON in its original form, without any changes, may be copied and re-transmitted by electronic mail, and copies may be printed for individual or ministry purposes, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of the Weekly SERMON must set forth in full the heading that is given before each Weekly SERMON. Any other request for use, please contact Bible Baptist Ministries at pdmikbbm@aol.com or by phone at Page 6