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Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 30th April 2006 PMGREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS! Pastor Linton Smith During their years at school two girls became very good friends. They were always together. They left school but still kept in touch.. were still very good friends. Then one of them got into trouble. The people around her turned against her.. and her friend did not come near her.. didn’t even call her on the phone.. or message her.. What do you think of a friend like that? It was a great wedding. The two people stood and made promises to each other.. faithful to you until parted by death. For several years all went well.. and then he was drawn to another woman.. and had sex with her. What do you think of a husband like that? Both people.. the friend.. and the husband make us angry.. because we expect people to be faithful. There is only One Person who can be relied on to be faithful no matter what – and that is God. Tonight.. favourite verse in Lamentations.. easy to choose.. In Lamentations 3:23.. in very distressing circumstances.. when most people would have said God had let them down.. Jeremiah praised God saying, “Great is your faithfulness.” Let’s think about this tonight… I was thinking about this last Monday early in the morning.. as I walked by the river.. Three statements came to mind.. OUR GOD IS A FAITHFUL GOD AND BECAUSE HE IS.. o HE WILL BE TRUE TO HIS PROMISES. Over Easter one of the TV Channels screened a mini series called, The Ten Commandments. It traced the story of Moses.. from his birth.. to the time when he received the ten commandments on Mt Sinai. It was a vivid reminder of how God set them free from slavery to the Egyptians.. and brought them to Mt Sinai. Forty years or more after this.. the people were about to enter the Promised Land.. and Moses spoke to them for the last time. What he said is recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy 7:8,9 Moses says to the people.. It was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God.. Long before the people had been slaves in Egypt.. God had made a promise to Abraham.. and now as Moses looked back.. he could say.. God has kept His promise. He is the faithful God! When Moses died.. Joshua succeeded him.. and he led the people into the promised land.. crossed the Jordan at Jericho.. and led the people in battle after battle.. until the whole land was theirs. Joshua was now an old man.. about to die.. and he said to the people.. Joshua 23:14.. Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. Not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. God is the faithful God.. He is true to His promises. In Psalm 145:13 we read.. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. And because He is faithful to all His promises.. is true to all His promises.. we can hang on to what He has promised us.. He has promised.. life after this life.. will take all those who believe in Jesus.. to heaven when they died.. and the writer of Hebrews says.. Hebrews 10:23.. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. o HE WILL BE TRUE TO HIS PURPOSES. Moses and Joshua spoke of God’s faithfulness.. and about 600 years later.. Jeremiah also spoke of His faithfulness. Jeremiah was a prophet.. God had sent him to the people of Judah.. descendants of the people Joshua had led into the promised land.. had sent him to them.. to warn them that they were headed for trouble if they kept on ignoring God.. and breaking His commandments.. They did not listen.. and a terrible day came.. when the Babylonians attacked.. slaughtered many people.. destroyed their temple and their city.. and took many people away as captives.. Jeremiah was devastated. God’s people.. the people to whom God had made so many promises.. were almost wiped out. This is how Jeremiah responded.. Lamentations 3:22,23.. Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. He could have said.. I am not going to believe anymore.. God has let us down.. but no.. he saw the mercy of God.. There had been great destruction.. but not complete destruction.. many were still alive.. the day would come when the nation would rise again.. and Jeremiah praised God.. yes.. He had punished the people.. but had not destroyed them.. because He had a great purpose for them.. and that purpose was ultimately… to give Jesus.. the Son of God to the world. God was faithful. He was true to His purposes. That is just as true today. God is faithful.. and because He is He is true to His purposes. Paul.. Romans 8:28,29.. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.. His great purpose had been to give Jesus to the world.. to save sinners.. and now His purpose is to make all these saved sinners.. like Jesus.. and He works in all things to that end. Tonight.. God wants you to believe in Jesus.. be His child.. and then He wants to make you like Jesus.. to take you into heaven one of these days.. as a person.. conformed to the image of Jesus.. just like Him.. Paul.. 1 Corinthians 1:8,9.. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. Right now.. strange and difficult things may be happening.. and you may question.. What is God doing? Does He care? Jeremiah.. invites us.. and Paul invites us.. to see the big picture.. I do not know why this is happening.. but I know God is faithful.. and is being true to His purposes. God is faithful.. will be true to His promises.. and purposes.. and o HE WILL BE TRUE TO HIS PEOPLE. If we are His.. He will be true to us.. stay with us.. by our side.. through thick and thin.. and bring us through. In Isaiah 43:2 God says to His people.. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.. Sometimes.. because of our own sin.. or the sin of others.. or just because we live in world marred by sin.. we go through very difficult times.. and God does not simply say.. Cheer up.. I know what I am doing.. I am true to my purposes.. I will bring you to heaven eventually.. but He is right there with us.. giving us strength Paul.. 1 Corinthians 10:13.. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. And again.. 2 Thessalonians 3:3.. The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. And.. Hebrews 13:5,6.. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” As Psalm 46:1 says.. God is a very present help in trouble! God is faithful.. and because He is.. He will be true to His people.. to you.. me.. In 1936.. a 16 year old girl.. wrote a poem that expresses this in a very powerful way.. You will very likely know it.. Footprints in the Sand.. God is the faithful God. He says to us tonight.. I will be true to my promises. I will be true to my purposes. I will be true to you!
Trust Him tonight!
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