Our Worthy God - Part 2
Notes
Transcript
Recap
Recap
We’re looking at the attributes of our God spoken through a prayer in Nehemiah 9
The people have just rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days
They just got done with the 7 day feast of tabernacles where; rejoicing, sacrificing and praying were taking place for 7 straight days…
This was something that God ordained for Israel to keep, but they had not kept this feast since the days of Joshua…
Now there is rejoicing over obeying what the Lord ordained all along and
Now they are gathered together:
Vs. 1 - they’re fasting with sackcloth and earth upon them
Vs. 2 - they separated themselves from the mixed multitude
Vs. 2 - they stood and confessed their sins and the sins of their fathers
Vs. 3 - they read in the Word for one fourth part of the day
Vs. 3 - then they confessed and worshipped another four part of the day
Now they’ve all gathered together and have begun this prayer…
We saw the greatness of our God and his worthiness…
Because His name is exalted above all
Because He is God alone
Because He created everything
Because of His continual care for His creation
If you are on the fence whether or not God deserves your:
Money - He does
Time - He does
Inconvenience - He does
Spirit - He does
Mouth - He does
Best effort - He does
a. God’s faithfulness is everlasting
90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations:
Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
b. God’s faithfulness is unfailing
33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him,
Nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
c. God’s faithfulness is infinite
5 Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
And thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
d. God’s faithfulness is incomparable
8 O Lord God of hosts,
Who is a strong Lord like unto thee?
Or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Now we turn our attention to verse. 7 and 8:
7 Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; 8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
This evening: Our Faithful God
1. God Brought Abraham Out
1. God Brought Abraham Out
7 Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
We often talk about the faith of Abraham to go, which is certainly there…
But I want to look at the faithfulness of God to send because that is what the prayer in Nehemiah is highlighting…
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
This passage is highlighting the faith of Abraham in that he:
a. was called and he obeyed, not knowing whither he went
But who called Abraham? It was our faithful God
and who prepared the place Abraham would go to? It was our faithful God
b. Abraham dwelt in tabernacles
But who provided the tabernacles
And who provided the food and water needed
And who gave Abraham the great wealth of flocks
c. Abraham looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God
But who prepared the city
God calls us into the unknown sometimes…
But we can trust and move in faith because we KNOW that we serve a faithful God…
Think about the faithfulness of our God when He says “go”:
He told Moses to go to Pharaoh and said, “certainly, I will be with thee, and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee.”
He told Joshua - “…as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Later he says, “… “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
He helped Jeremiah by telling him - “…thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.”
The Apostle Paul encouraged the church at Thessalonica when he said, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
When Solomon finished his 31 verse prayer in I Kings 8 at the dedication of the temple, he arose from the alter from kneeling on his knees and with his hands spread to heaven he said “Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.”
9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
2. God Gave Abraham a Name
2. God Gave Abraham a Name
7 Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
Think of the faithfulness of our God to give us a new name:
He turned Abram’s name (meaning “exalted father” to Abraham (meaning “father of a multitude”) - God gave Abraham a new name when He gave him a new covenant that he would be a father of many nations… (Genesis 17:5)
He turned Jacob’s name (meaning supplanter or deceiver) to Israel in Genesis 32 (meaning “prince with God”) - when God won the wrestling match with Jacob and changed Jacob’s direction, he changed his name
When Peter met Jesus, Jesus called Peter into service and said “…thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.” - there were some things God would use Peter for that would require a stonelike character to endure
When God met Saul on the Damascus road, he saved him and turned him into the Apostle Paul…
What I’m trying to say is that our God is faithful to give us a new name…
“There’s a new name written down in glory and it’s mine… oh yes its mine…”
God is faithful to turn the slate over…
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
3. God Performs His Words
3. God Performs His Words
8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
I wonder how many of us and how many times we’ve “given our lives to God” and have failed to keep that which we have spoken to Him?
At salvation, you turned away from everything but Jesus on the cross to save you… Have you done so for salvation and immediately turned back to everything else?
Conclusion:
If God is faithful to send and provide every step of the way… shouldn’t I be faithful to go and trust Him?
If God is faithful to give a new name… should I be faithful to proclaim His?
If God is faithful to perform His words… shouldn’t I keep mine?
