More About Jesus – He is Faithful
We have briefly looked at how Jesus is faithful in a previous lesson on His character. In this lesson we are going to take a closer look because it is extremely important. The fact that He is faithful impacts many areas in our Christian walk. Especially when hard times come.
I unequivocally declare that there are some things that God CANNOT do!
That’s right. You heard me. There are things that God CANNOT do.
Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Our God cannot lie. Why? It would go against His attribute of Righteousness. God cannot deny His Character. Righteousness is not something that He chooses to have. No, it is who He is.
God also cannot let sinners into Heaven. Why? It would go against His attribute of Holiness.
God must throw those who reject His salvation into Hell. Why? If He did not, it would go against His attribute of Justice.
God could not just sit by and let all mankind go to hell unopposed. Why? It would go against His attribute of Love and Mercy. The Bible tells us that God is Love.
God cannot deny His Character. This same principal that applies to lying, also applies to His Faithfulness. God does not choose to be faithful. He is faithful. It is part of His character.
God CANNOT be unfaithful.
We recently in other messages looked at God’s promise to be found.
Jer. 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD:
God says anyone who seeks Him will find Him.
And we looked at God’s promise that anyone can be saved. Manasseh was the wickedest king the south ever had. He even heard from God and rejected it, but later he saw the light and humbled himself before God and was restored.
God must be faithful to His promise that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. He must be faithful to Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
God says anyone who seeks me shall find me, and he also promises and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. In His Word He recorded events in several people’s lives that show just how serious He is about being faithful to His promises.
One of the many many things wrong with Calvinism is that it goes against those two promises. If what Calvinism teaches is true then that would make God unfaithful. But hold on. God cannot be unfaithful. He must be faithful to what He said; to all of his promises to anyone.
Faithfulness is a part of His character.
I It is part of His Character
Isa 49:7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, [and] his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, [and] the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
1Co 1:9 God [is] faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
1Th 5:24 Faithful [is] he that calleth you, who also will do [it].
Notice how it is stated. He is Faithful. It is not might be, or could be, or sometimes. Faithfulness is an attribute of God. It is who He is. It is independent from the person it is bestowed upon or the circumstances that the person is in. Jesus is faithful. With no loopholes and with no respect of persons.
II The Faithfulness of Jesus is declared to be
a. Great
Lam 3:23 [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.
In fact His faithfulness is greater than any other. There is none to compare to it.
b. Established
Psa 89:2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
His faithfulness cannot be moved, changed, or subdued. The Almighty has established it.
c. Incomparable
Psa 89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who [is] a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
This is a rhetorical question, and the answer is obvious. None! No one! Nobody! Period!
d. Unfailing
Psa 89:33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
Psa 89:34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
2Ti 2:13 If we believe not, [yet] he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
The faithfulness of Jesus is unfailing. It cannot fail. He will always do what He promised to do. Even when you doubt. Even when you do not believe it, He is still faithful.
It is not dependent upon you. Jesus will abide faithful because He cannot deny Himself. Even when you feel totally alone, you are not alone because Jesus promised to be with you until the end.
Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Matt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matt 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
e. Infinite
Psa 36:5 Thy mercy, O LORD, [is] in the heavens; [and] thy faithfulness [reacheth] unto the clouds.
There is no place where His faithfulness will not reach. He is all knowing, and all present, and has all power.
f. Everlasting
Psa 119:90 Thy faithfulness [is] unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
Psa 146:6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein [is]: which keepeth truth for ever:
Praise God for this one. His faithfulness is everlasting. Not only will Jesus be faithful to us this year, but in 10 years, 100 years, and in 1000 years you will still find Him faithful. In fact throughout all eternity. Jesus is faithful forever.
And His faithfulness is unto all generations. That would obviously include ours.
III It is manifested
a. In His counsels
Isa 25:1 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] faithfulness [and] truth.
You can count on everything Jesus ever said. It is all truth. How much better things would be if we would just listen to Him, trust what He says and obey Him.
b. In fulfilling His promises
1Ki 8:20 And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
Psa 132:11 The LORD hath sworn [in] truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
Mic 7:20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, [and] the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)
Not one thing that He promised will fail to pass. Not one. You cannot say that of anyone else.
c. In executing His judgments
Jer 23:20 The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
Jer 51:29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.
He is faithful in keeping promises that we cherish. He is faithful to bring about everything He said would happen. And since faithfulness is part of His very character, Jesus will also be faithful to judge. Every man will give an answer. All will stand before Him.
d. In keeping His covenant
Deu 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;
Psa 111:5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.
He will fulfill His promises and covenant with the Jews. One day they will have all that land. And He will fulfill His covenant with all those who get saved. We will be with Him forever more.
e. In forgiving sins
1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If you are honest, you will admit how great this is because you realize how much you need this. None of us have arrived yet. We all make mistakes, we all sin. We are saved, but we still carry the old flesh nature with us.
Every Christian needs to confess their sins to God. And praise the Lord He is faithful to forgive us. Amen!
Some will doubt this. They will think not this time. He just forgave me last week and then again yesterday.
Or they will think, not this time because what I did was really bad. That kind of thinking is not in line with His very nature. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.
He must forgive each and every time because He is faithful. He must be true to Himself and His promise.
IV Jesus’ faithfulness should be
a. Pleaded in prayer
Psa 143:1 <A Psalm of David.> Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, [and] in thy righteousness.
You will often find in the record prayers in the Bible where they would mention the attributes of God. Or some great thing that He has done. When you are praying it is a good thing to acknowledge who it is you are talking to and to praise Him for who He is and what He has done.
b. Proclaimed
Psa 40:10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
Psa 89:1 <Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.> I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
His faithfulness is so great and we should be so excited about it that we will tell others. Other need to know that He will be as faithful to them as He is to us.
c. Depended upon
1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls [to him] in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Simply put you can count on Jesus. You can trust the faithful Creator with your soul.
d. Magnified
Psa 89:5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
Psa 92:2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
His faithfulness should be magnified in our eyes. We should be very thankful to Him for His faithfulness. We should praise Him for it, and we should share it.
Psa 89:5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
Praise thy faithfulness in the congregation of the saints.
Some people, when they get into some dark valley of trial, they will entertain the wicked thought that God has not been faithful to them. It can easily happen to people who listen to the Health and Wealth false teachers.
The problem is not that God is unfaithful. It is that God never promised the things that the Health and Wealth teachers say. God never promised you that things would be all sunshine and lollipops on this earth. He never promised you perfect health or that you would not be poor. He did not die on the cross for your pocket book or your health. He died for your sin.
He has promised you eternal life. He has promised that He will never leave you. Yes trials come but He is there with you thru the trial. He has promised to reward you one day based on how you live for Him on this earth. Our God is completely faithful to every promise that He has made.
He cannot be otherwise.