9. Deuteronomy 32:3-4 True and Faithful

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 26:3–4 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Intro

What is Truth? (John 18:38).

When Pilate asked that famous question… it was almost dismissive… rhetorical.

A question birthed out of this nihilism and hopelessness that anyone could ever possibly find truth because we’ve just been let down too many times.

Its why our whole culture has gone from asking “What is truth?” to “There is no truth!” or “Truth is Relative”

We’re desperate for some semblance of truth that maybe its easier to pretend like it doesn’t even exist.

But that hopelessness and that desperation… comes from a hunger for the truth… a longing for something you can build your life on that will never fail you and never let you down.

We are all looking for the truth…

We’re all searching for something… for anything that can be an anchor for our souls to keep us anchored in the storms.

Some rock or firm foundation that won’t be swept away like a house of cards built on lies.

In a world where truth has gone out the window… from news to media to politics… we are all a living witness to just how exhausting it is to live in a world of lies.

How frustrating… demoralizing… destabilizing…

Where can you go for truth?

The irony of the world is that we are so desperate for truth and so confused about what the truth even is because we have rejected the One who is Truth.

You reject God and all you have left is lies…

Attributes

In our study of God’s attributes we are looking at who God is in all His glory!

And one of God’s attributes… one of His infinite perfections… what Peter calls His excellencies… is Truth (1 Peter 2:9).

He is perfect Truth and Truthfulness.

God is always true… He never lies… and he is forever faithful.

He is the solid Rock… the beginning and the end… the One on whom we can build all our life… hope… and eternity… and never be put to shame (Isaiah 54:4; Romans 10:11; Psalm 25:3; Isaiah 45:17; Psalm 34:5).

In Deuteronomy 32 Moses sings a song to praise God and His faithfulness in contrast to unfaithful Israel.

They are fickle like sand… God never changes.

Deuteronomy 32:3–4 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God!

This is what we’re doing… Who is the Lord and what makes Him great?

Moses says…

The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He.

That word faithfulness can sometimes be translated as “Truth.”

A God of truth and without iniquity, just and upright is He (cf. Isaiah 65:16).

Truth and faithfulness obviously go together.

God is always faithful because He is always true…

He is true to Himself and true to His word…

He is the God of Truth

Notice what Moses even calls Him… I will proclaim the name of the Lord… the Rock.

God’s Name as the Rock teaches us that He is the sure and immovable foundation in a world of sinking sand.

The Solid Rock!

The One that can always be counted on.

All His ways are Justice… They are always true and always right.

All He does is perfect.

There is no crookedness in Him.

No darkness… no deception… no half-truths or broken vows.

He is the God of Truth and Faithfulness.

As One of His Divine Attributes… that is who God is.

Its one aspect of His greatness and His glory.

So what makes the Truth of God so great?

Why is God as the Rock… someone we can fully trust with all of our life and all of our soul… so essential for our faith… our life… and our worship.

Truth is a big concept so we are going to have three points today looking at what it means that God is True.

Number 1… that God is the One True God.

Number 2… That God is always True in All His Word…

And Number 3… That God is Always, Always, Always Forever Faithful.

Let’s start with point Number 1…

I. God is the One True God

Part of God’s glory and God’s greatness is that He is the One True God and there is no other.

When we say that God is True, one of the things we are saying is that God is real as in He actually exists and that God is True in that He is the True God as opposed to all the false Gods.

Exists

First off… how do we know God is real?

This is a very important question in our secular age because if we can prove God is not real then we can live however we want.

This is why philosophies like Evolution are so important and crucial to the secular worldview because we exist and we obviously come from somewhere.

So how do we make that “somewhere” a place where… we can be God’s unto ourselves.

Where there is no God and we are not made in the image of God and therefore accountable to Him.

Science as Theology

And so what we’ve done as a culture is turned science into a theology and made it the ultimate definition of truth.

Science… properly speaking… is the study the observable known world and how it works all pointing back to God for His own glory.

Its the study of God’s creation

But what we’ve done in our hatred of God is taken Science and forced it to transcend itself.

Its no longer just about observing the world to discover what is true by repeatable and testable hypotheses.

We look to science to give us ultimate purpose and the meaning of life.

Not in a positive sense as in to tell us where we are going but in a negative sense where we are just trying to throw off the shackles of God and being accountable to Him as His creatures.

Why?

Because we love our sin and if there’s no God there’s no sin in the first place.

That’s why I said “Science” is a Theology.

Its a Dogma or a Creed that tries to give Transcendent meaning instead of just answering questions about the observable known world.

Creation Testifies

But here’s the irony… Their ultimate truth… when held in its proper place actually testifies to the truth and existence of God.

Romans 1 says.

Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

The world itself testifies to God’s existence.

All of this didn’t come into being all on its own.

There was a Creator who Created it.

This is why “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1).

Paul says it is clearly perceived… so they are without excuse.

Idols

But God is true not just in the sense that He exists but that He is the one true God as opposed to all false gods.

This idea is in Moses’ song in our passage Deuteronomy 32.

Deuteronomy 32:31, 37-39 For their rock is not as our Rock;

In other words their god is not as our God…

our enemies are by themselves… Then He will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge?… Let them be your protection! See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god beside me.”

All other gods are false.

They are vain hopes… they are delusions.

1 Corinthians 10:20 says what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.

Now what does that mean?

That every other faith… every other religion… every human philosophy even if it doesn’t officially acknowledge some god such as atheism or evolution…

Anything that gives someone an identity or follows after the spirit of the age… so I would put abortion, homosexuality and transgenderism in this category…

Everything other than the Triune God revealed in Jesus Christ ultimately serves some demon.

Our God is not one God among many… He is the only God.

And other gods might be “real”… in the sense that there are real spiritual forces behind them… but our God is the only God that’s True.

The only God that… is actually God.

Isaiah 46:9 I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.

And part of God being the only true God is that He is the only God who can save.

This is the thought behind our passage Deuteronomy 32: ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge?… Let them be your protection!… For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves.

They have no hope and no salvation… they are completely on their own because our God is the only God has the power to save.

Applications

So one application is to put your trust in Him alone.

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

“Who is God?” is the Foundational Truth of the whole universe.

He is the Anchor… the Center… the whole point of Everything!

And If we’re all searching for truth… for something solid to build our life upon… the first and foundational truth is that there is One True God and all of our lives belong to Him.

If you want to build your life on the truth… have a sure foundation… you need to build your life on God.

Everything else will always leave you empty.

There is no Rock; I know not any.

God alone… is the fountain of living waters… everything else is a dry and broken cistern that will always leave you thirsty (Jeremiah 10:13).

God alone is the One that can satisfy because God alone is the Truth.

He alone is the One True God.

If you’re not living all of your life for Him then at least some part of your life is living out a lie.

Problem of Sin

Now that poses a problem because we’ve all sinned against Him.

He is the One true God and we’ve all failed to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Like Paul says we all exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen (Romans 1:25).

And brought ourselves under God’s wrath and judgment.

We sinned against the One True God but God made a way in Jesus Christ.

Jesus said…

John 14:6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is the Way…

He is the only road… the only path… the only bridge between a righteous and holy God and sinful man.

He is the Truth!

The Truth of God incarnate in human flesh.

The True and Only revelation of the Father with a true and sure word of salvation.

The One True God come to save us from all our sins.

He is the Truth and the only Truth that can be wholeheartedly, unreservedly trusted casting the full weight of our eternal soul on Him.

Why?

Because… He is the Life.

By his death and resurrection Jesus died in our place for our sins and rose again three days later.

On the cross He bore the wrath of God our sins deserved.

In Him we have the full forgiveness of sins, living water, and Eternal Life.

Jesus said Whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty again (John 4:14).

He is the Sure Rock and the firm foundation.

The only way to the Father and the One True God who alone can save us from our sins.

Everyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11).

Our faith in Christ will not be in vain.

He will save us to the end as the One True Rock.

That’s Psalm 18…

Psalm 18:2, 46 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold… Blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation.

Point Number 2…

God is the One True God and He is…

II. God is Always True in All His Word

Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.

Hebrews 6:18 goes even further saying it is impossible for God to lie.

God is True in all His word because Truth belongs of God’s very nature… His essence.

He is Truth itself therefore all His Words are true.

2 Samuel 7:28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are… true.

Because God Cannot lie… we can always trust what God says.

He is always true to His word.

He is wholly true and wholly trustworthy.

Omniscience

This Truthfulness of God is connected to His Omniscience.

In His Omniscience… God knows all things.

And by His infinite knowledge God knows all things as they actually are.

Meaning… what God says can be trusted with all our eternal soul.

This is so crucial to our faith… because without it we would never even have a faith to begin with.

If God could lie… if Truth was not essential to His Being or Essence…

How could we ever know He is who He says He is?

How could we trust Him?

How could we believe Him?

And if God were not Omniscient how would we know that what God says is actually true.

Think about.

We’re wrong and we’re mistaken all the time.

We think something is true… so we’re not lying… we just don’t have the facts.

But by His Omniscience God doesn’t just think He knows the truth… He knows the truth as it actually is.

Its not just impossible for God to lie because of the truth of His character… its impossible for God to ever be wrong!

Therefore…God can always be trusted and His Word will never lead us astray.

He will never lead us wrong.

He will never lie to us or lead us to a vain hope.

The Glory of God is that all of His Words are true.

Again… that idea earlier… all who trust in the Lord will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11; Psalm 25:3).

Because God is True you can build all of your life on His Word!

Jesus said…

Matthew 7:24–25 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

The way we build our life on the Rock of God is to build our life on the Rock of His Word.

Because God is True… God’s Word is True…

This is why we believe the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God…

Just as our words are the breath of our mouth Scripture is the “breath” of God’s mouth.

Peter says…

2 Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Scripture is the very Word of God.

This is why we believe that Scripture is both inerrant and infallible.

Inerrant meaning it is without error or contradiction in its original autographs.

Infallible meaning it is wholly true and absolutely trustworthy.

It can never and will never lead us astray.

Psalm 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

Psalm 119:160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

The Bible is Truth spoken by Truth itself.

When we put our trust in the Bible and what the Bible says, we are ultimately putting our trust in God.

Sola Scriptura

This is why God’s Word… the Bible… must be and is our Highest Authority and ultimate standard of truth for our life (1689 1:4).

This is what the Reformers meant by Sola Scriptura.

The 1689 Confession says The Holy Scriptures are the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience (1689 1:1).

If we are going to live our life in light of the Truth we need to live our life according to God’s Word.

On a Practical level what has the final say in your life?

Is it your passions and temptations driven by the lusts and desires of the flesh?

Is it your own wisdom… living however you see fit?

Or is it the spirit of the age following the course of the pattern of this world?

What is the ultimate truth that dictates your life?

The thing you filter everything through?

Paul says Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Because God’s Word is true… if we want to live a true life we have to conform all of our thoughts… all of our hearts… all of our life to God’s Word.

We need to be transformed by the Renewal of our mind!

Literally have the Bible transform how we think and see the world!

How?

But… how do you do that?

You’re telling “Be transformed”… how does that work?

My goal here is to go beyond just… “Read the Bible.”

What do you do with the Bible?

How does the Bible work?

How do you practically build and develop a biblical worldview where in any situation you start thinking God’s thoughts after Him?

Paul says the New Self… is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator (Colossians 3:10.

The answer is you filter everything through the lens of Scripture.

The truth of God’s Word starts to reshape our minds and our desires… our thoughts and our hearts.

The more we let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… the more the truth of God’s Word starts to color and flavor everything in our life.

Its like you start seeing the world and all of your life with Bible glasses!

Suffering Example

When suffering comes in we start asking what does God’s Word say?

Well it says count it all joy (James 1:2).

That God is using our sufferings and afflictions for our good that we might share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:10-13).

That all things work together for good for those that love Him (Romans 8:28).

That God is sovereign and not a hair of our head will fall apart from our Heavenly Father (Matthew 10:28-29).

All those truths start to work together to sanctify the trials we endure.

Through the Bible our minds are renewed as it works in us to redefine:

What we want and what we desire.

What is True and Beautiful and Good.

What is right and wrong!

What is truly worth living for!

We stop living according to our wisdom and start living according to God’s truth.

Vomit

If God’s word tells you going back to that sin is like a dog returning to its vomit eventually that truth is going to work itself out in your life where you once lived for that sin and desired that sin the truth of God’s Word has renewed your mind to see…. this is vomit… .this is not good for me.

This is not life.

God’s Word has something so much better than this!

That’s renewal of the mind!

Jesus said “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17).

Scripture sanctifies our way of thinking and how we see the world which then translates to sanctifying our life.

Being renewed in knowledge after the image of our creator (Colossians 3:10).

Being transformed by the renewal of our mind.

God is true and Never lies… therefore build your life on God’s Word.

Make it the highest authority in your life.

God’s Word will never lead you astray.

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24).

Transition

By His truth… God alone is the One True God

And by His truth He is the One True God who is always true and never lies…

Leading us to point number 3… By His Truth, God is the One True God who is always and forever faithful.

III. God is Always and Forever Faithful

Where last point was God’s Word is always true and will never lead you astray… here the emphasis here is that God is always true to His word.

If God is always true and never lies because then you can always count on Him to keep and fulfill His promises.

Psalm 36:5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.

In other words… forever and ever.

God is always faithful to His people.

Truth and faithfulness are two sides of the same coin.

Because God is True He is always faithful.

In this way the Truth of God is a rest! for our souls.

We can rest our souls on His perfect trustworthiness.

Not one word of God can fail and not one of His good promises will ever fall to the ground (Joshua 21:45).

So when the Bible says Psalm 25:10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness… Steadfast love and truth!…

We can trust with all our hearts that all the Paths of the Lord… wherever He leads us… even though it looks like the valley of the Shadow of Death… is always towards Green Pastures and Still Waters (Psalm 23:1-3).

God’s own Name proclaimed to Moses in Exodus 34 The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands… (Exodus 34:5-7).

Abounding… God is overflowing in faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22–23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

God is faithful every day… forever and ever… His mercies are new every morning.

Every morning is a new day of God’s faithfulness to you.

Application

Now what does that mean for us?

That anything God promises no matter how small we can take to the bank.

We can trust wholeheartedly.

If God says even one thing in His Word about something with which we are struggling,… we can count Him faithful and rest in the trust of His promise (Hebrews 6:11).

How much angst or doubt or fear have we endured because we don’t believe God is true?

But He is always and forever faithful to all His promises.

He was faithful to Abraham and Sarah to bring about Isaac after 25 years.

He was faithful to David after being chased by Saul.

And He was faithful to Adam and Eve and the whole human race in bringing about the Messiah.

And I know what you’re thinking!

Well of course God is faithful in those things… those are trhe big things!

What we struggle with is… “but will God be faithful to me?”

But let me ask you a question… “Is God true?”

Is God true?

If God is true… He will always be faithful to you!

Faithful to you!

He promises to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5; also Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5).

To always be with us.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

Why?

For you are with me (Psalm 23:4).

He promises to redeem our sufferings (Romans 8:28-29).

To always hear our prayers (1 John 5:14-15).

To guard us… and keep us even to the Last day (John 6:39, John 10:27-30; Romans 8:38-39).

To forgive us when we confess our sins (1 John 1:9).

To care for us and provide for all our needs (Matthew 6:33; 4:19).

To never put us to shame or let our hope be in vain (Psalm 25:3).

He promises to sanctify you and never give up on you even when you stumble and fall.

Philippians 1:6 says And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

And in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Faith

God’s promises are more reliable than your feelings or circumstances.

And His promises are greater than what your eyes can see.

When cancer comes…

When you lose your job and your out looking for work…

When someone lies to you or betrays you…

When your son or daughter wanders from the faith…

When you feel forgotten, abandoned, forsaken, or unloved…

God is always there.

He is always true to His Word.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

And faith looks like trusting in that rock when all your life and all your circumstances scream something different.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

Conclusion

God is the God of Truth.

He is the One True God.

He Never lies.

And He is always and forever faithful to all His promises the greatest of all being Jesus Christ.

He is the Rock… the Truth… and the Faithfulness of God in Human flesh.

All the promises of God are yes and amen in Him (2 Corinthians 2:10).

All the blessings of the New Covenant: Salvation… Adoption… Eternal Life.

A New Heart… the full Forgiveness of sins… all found in Christ through faith in His sacrificial death and bodily resurrection.

He died and rose again… the Everlasting Rock to save us from all our sins.

Let’s Pray

“Father, thank You that You are the God of truth and faithfulness. Thank You that in a world full of lies, we have a Rock that never moves. Help us to trust Your promises more than our feelings. Help us to rest in Your Son, who is the Truth. And may our lives increasingly reflect Your truthful and faithful character. In the name of Jesus — who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life — we pray. Amen.”