Faithfulness of God

Sermon delivered on May 31st, 2015

By: Pastor Greg Hocson

Text: Psalm 89:1-8

 

Introduction

Psalm 89 is a song of instruction. It is a teaching song composed by Ethan the Ezrahite. He is described in 1 Kings 4:31, as the wisest among men during the days of King Solomon. And what is the Psalmist seeking to teach us? Faithfulness of God!

I - Celebrating God's Faithfulness

Psalm 89 is a celebration of the faithfulness of God. It is a song of praise to God for His faithfulness.

1: I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

2: For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. 

5: And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. 

8: O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? 

24: But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

33: Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

So the keynote in this Psalm is the faithfulness of God. It tells us that God is faithful and as a result He is worthy of our trust.

God wants us to know that He is faithful

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;

God revealed in His words that He is faithful. It is important for us to know that God is faithful, because our faith and faithfulness is based on the faithfulness of God.

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

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.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

What is faithfulness?

The Hebrew word translated "faithfulness" means "steadfastness, firmness, fidelity, integrity, reliability.

The opposite of being faithful is to be ever-changing or wishy-washy. God's faithfulness is God's absolute reliability or His freedom from all fickleness. That means He is 100% reliable 100% of the time. He says what He means and means what He says. He never fails, forgets, falters, changes or disappoints. 

Faithfulness is the most comforting and practical attribute of God. How powerful this truth is, specially joined with God's ability, power and unchangeableness.

Some amazing truths about God's faithfulness

 

1. Mercy and Faithfulness

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. 2: For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

Mercy and faithfulness are inseparable. It is God's mercy when He give us promises, it is His faithfulness when He keeps them.

Psalm 36:5 Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

Lamentation 3:21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22: It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23: They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

 

2. Great is His faithfulness

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. 

Here is challenge to both heaven and earth. Who in the heaven, who among the sons of the mighty can be compared, can be likened unto the LORD?

The true God, sovereign of heaven and earth is incomparably great in His BEING and EXISTENCE and ATTRIBUTES and PERFECTIONS and WORKS.

8: O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? 

No human faithfulness can be compared with it. Don't get me wrong, there have been men and women who have been faithful unto death. Paul is a good example of faithfulness.

2 Timothy 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand (time of his execution and death). 7: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith;

But what is the faithfulness even of the best of men, as compared to that of God. That's why are we called to put our trust in men ...

Psalm 146:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. 2: While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. 3: Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

Everything about God is great, vast, and incomparable. He never forgets, never fails, never falters, and never does any thing contrary to His word.

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?

 

3. Faithful to Himself

2 Timothy 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

If He is not faithful to Himself He cannot be faithful to anyone else. He cannot do anything inconsistent with Himself, with His nature and character. He cannot be inconsistent. When He exercise His love He cannot just suspend His faithfulness.

Psalm 89:33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

His faithfulness is essential to His being, without it He would not be God. For God to be unfaithful would be to act contrary to His nature.

 

II - How is God's faithfulness illustrated?

His faithfulness is illustrated in many ways ....

1. In the fulfillment of His promises

A promise to Noah

Shortly after the flood, after Noah and family were preserved in the Ark, there was a promise given to Noah and the promise was in relation to earth.

Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

We don't have to lose sleep wondering if the sun is going to rise in the morning! Al Gore and his global warming friends need to read that.

This promise was made 4000 years ago. It was a promise relating to the faithfulness of God in the change of seasons. Change of season reminds us of the faithfulness of God. 

Winter, spring, summer or fall, every time the season change, we can reflect back upon the 4000 year promise that God made to Noah.

 

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

 

"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!

 

A promise to Abraham

What about the promise made regarding the people of the Hebrew nation in being taken down into Egypt.

Genesis 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14: And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15: And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

Here is a promise made to Abraham and listen to the fulfillment in ...

Exodus 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 41: And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

And when that generation finally came about, Abraham's descendants cried out to God to deliver them from the awful burden that the Egyptians had laid on them and guess what, God had not forgotten His promise, because He is faithful.

A four hundred year promise. God's reliability is seen in this promise.

God's promise made in Isaiah ...

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Again centuries passed, but faithful to His Word ...

Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22: Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23: Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Galatians 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5: To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

So the promises of God whether 4000 years or 400 years or 4 years, when God makes a promise He is reliable in the fulfillment of it.

A promise to David

3: I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 4: Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

The Psalmist contemplates on the promise that God had made to, David in ...

2 Samuel 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14: I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

Here the Lord promised David that his descendants would sit upon his throne for eternity, which is a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, called the Son of David in Matthew 21:9.

This promise is very significant because it shows that the Messiah will come from the lineage of David and that He will establish a kingdom from which He will reign.

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2: (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3: Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4: And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. 2: For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. 3: I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 4: Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

 

A promise of provision

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 26: He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

 

III - There is tension

Ethan outlived Solomon. He must have written this Psalm in his old age. During his lifetime, immediately after Solomon's death, there was a tragic division between the northern and the southern kingdoms. The throne of David was humiliated and weakened and most of God's chosen people turned away from God which eventually led to their ruin.

He started this Psalm by describing the great promise of God to David that He will establish his kingdom forever. But then, when he looks at the situation in his time, the kingdom is falling apart, Ethan began to doubt. He was confused. It seems that God has forgotten His covenant.

46: How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire? 47: Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain? 48: What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah. 49: Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth? 50: Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people; 51: Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.

But I like the way he concludes this Psalm.

52: Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.

Even though everything around him seems to be contradicting God's promise, Ethan continued to believe God. He believed God will keep His promise, that a King will sit upon David's throne forever.

 

IV - What are the implications of God's faithfulness?

It is one thing to accept the faithfulness of God as truth it is another thing to act upon it. What does the faithfulness of God mean for the way we live.

 

1. It ought to inspire confidence in Him

God's faithfulness ought to increase and inspire our confidence in Him. Knowing that you have a faithful God on your side, all the time, ought to change the way we think and act. It makes us as bold as a lion and as steady as a rock.

He is utterly reliable. If He is so utterly reliable, why do we distrust Him so often. Why do we rely more on ourselves and our own strength and wisdom?

As you dwell on the faithfulness of God and what He has said you will be confident, bold, powerful, a real overcomer!

Understanding these principles will preserve us from worry. To be worried and concerned is to reject the doctrine of the faithfulness of God.

Hebrews 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20: By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21: And having an high priest over the house of God; 22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23: Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24: And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26: For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27: But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Our confidence is not in our faith but in the faithfulness of God. Our confidence is not in our ability to keep God's words but in God's ability to keep His own words.

May God preserve us all from worries as we come to grips with this attribute.

 

2. It ought inspire faithfulness

God's faithfulness should stir devotion and faithfulness to God. Our faithfulness is anchored upon a faithful God. Our life is built upon the trustworthiness of God. Without that, there can be no basis for faithfulness. We cannot be faithful to someone that is fickle and disloyal. There will be no ground for faith and faithfulness. We can be faithful today because we know of a God who is absolutely faithful. His faithfulness is the reason we can be faithful today.

Faithfulness Not Success

Faithfulness is what God is looking for. God wants our faithfulness, not our success.

A faithful Christian is actually a successful Christian, because success is not based on results but on faithfulness.

We are not responsible for the results; we are responsible for our faithfulness.

2 Timothy 2:1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2: And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3: Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Faithfulness is required in servants

1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2: Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3: But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

We are not called to be successful; we are called to be faithful. 

Can God depend on you?

To be faithful to God is to do the thing that God wants you to do, and does it well.

To be unfaithful, is to do your own thing, and keep doing your own things.

Strive to hear ...

Matthew 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

We are to be faithful to our spouses, to our children, to our parents, to our loved ones, to our friends, to each other, but ultimately we are called to be faithful to God.

 

3. It ought to inspire praise

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. 

52: Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.

Amen - True, Faithful, etc.

Joshua 21:43 And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. 44: And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45: There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.

Joshua 23:14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

If God were not be faithful He would not be God. Although all human beings are unfaithful to God and to each other, God remains faithful to Himself, to His word, to HIs covenant, to His church. God is faithful to His people even when we are unfaithful to Him, in all that happens in your life from here on out, you will be able to say truthfully God is faithful.

 

"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 hast been Thou forever wilt be.

 

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

 

"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!

 

Amen!