God is Faithful, Part 3
God is Faithful, Part 3
Characteristics of God, God is an Example to Imitate
Faithfulness always requires an object. Whoever is faithful has to be faithful to something or someone. Like we mentioned last week, you might be faithful to a spouse or faithful to an employer. You could be faithful to your church or faithful to your school or alma mater. Maybe you have a pet that is faithful to you. Where there is faithfulness, there is always a target who receives that faithfulness. The same is true of God’s faithfulness.
In our lesson this week, we’ll look more closely at who God shows his faithfulness to and how we should respond to God’s faithfulness.
Who Does God Show Faithfulness To?
In our previous lessons, we’ve mentioned that God is faithful to his own faithfulness. But who else does God show his faithfulness to? The short answer is that he shows his faithfulness to those who follow him. This is defined in a few different ways.
1. God is faithful to those who are obedient.
Psalm 25:10: All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
2. God is faithful to those who commit themselves to him.
Psalm 31:5: Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
3. God is faithful to those who cry out to him.
Psalm 143:1: Lord, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
4. God is faithful to those he has called.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24: 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
5. God is faithful to those who have shown kindness to his people.
2 Samuel 2:4b-6: When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, 5 he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6 May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this.”
The Bible also tells us that Jesus showed faithfulness in his service to God through his life on earth.
Hebrews 2:17: For this reason he [Jesus] had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 3:1-2: 1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.
Notice in all of these, the person God shows faithfulness to is the one who has a relationship with him. God is faithful to those who call on him, who are obedient to him, and who commit their ways to him. The Bible never says that God shows faithfulness to those who reject him - except perhaps to be faithful to punish them. So this should be a warning to us. In light of that, how should we respond to God’s faithfulness?
How Do We Respond To God’s Faithfulness?
As we just learned, God’s faithfulness is reserved for those who follow him. In that regard, we have to make a choice. Will we follow him in obedience? Or will we reject him? If we truly believe that God is faithful, we should be willing to commit ourselves to God.
1 Peter 4:19: So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Once we commit our lives to him, we can hold on to the hope that we find in him due to his faithfulness. We have hope because we know that God is faithful to do what he has promised.
Hebrews 3:6: But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
Hebrews 10:23: Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Because we have hope in God’s faithfulness, we can completely rely on him for everything.
Psalm 26:2-3: 2 Test me, Lord, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
Psalm 86:11: Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
If we commit our lives to him, find hope in his faithfulness, and completely rely on him for everything, that it follows logically that this complete devotion to God should cause us to fix our thoughts on him.
Hebrews 3:1-2: 1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.
Most of the responses we’ve listed here are internal—they are related to our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and heart responses. But our response to God’s faithfulness should also be evident to others in our outward actions. God’s faithfulness is one reason that we should praise God.
Psalm 92:1-3: 1 It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
We should also want to tell others about God’s faithfulness.
Psalm 40:10: I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly.
Psalm 89:1-2: 1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
We shouldn’t try to hide our hope and joy in God’s faithfulness from others. Instead, we should shout it for everyone to hear. Our external actions should be consistent with our internal attitudes and thoughts that commit to God’s faithfulness and rely on him daily.
Conclusion
So now it’s your chance to decide. How will you respond to God’s faithfulness? Will you reject him and go your own way? Or will you trust in his faithfulness, letting it lead you into obedience and hope? Will you hide your faith in God from others? Or will you share about God’s love and faithfulness to those within your sphere of influence? I pray that I will reflect God’s faithfulness in my own life by being faithful to serve him all my days.
Premium Resources
Each individual characteristic of God study will come with two resources: a word search just for fun (including an answer key), and a list of verses for if you want to investigate that individual characteristic of God more completely.
You can access these resources by clicking here: God Is Faithful Resources
Or you can download them here:
In addition, when his words abide in us, then we, like a vine, bear much fruit:
(John 15:8-12)
Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples."
By abiding in Christ, we bear the abundant fruit of his life in us, and this proves that we are his disciples,
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue you in my love.
How do we do that?
If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
To abide in Christ means to keep his commandments, which is doing what he said to do.
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is the same joy he had which enabled him to endure the cross.
This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:8-12)
Christ’s physical example, and joy, demonstrated his love toward us.
This loving example of how to live extended to dying for us:
For Christ also suffered on our behalf, leaving us an example, that we should follow in His steps. (1Peter 2:20-21)
What a great reminder of God’s faithfulness when we’re faithful to Him.