God is Faithful and Trustworthy

Welcome,Review, Prayer, Intro

Good Morning Church! How is everyone doing this morning? I am excited to continue our series.

Prayer- Yahweh, we come before you with a variety of emotions and experiences. Yet, you invite us into your house to be in your presence with our church family. We come this morning with a desire to know you deeper. To understand your Character in a deeper way. To love you more and see your beauty anew. May we encounter Christ in such a way that others see you in us more when we leave than when we first came. AMEN.

Intro Illustrations:

Square

Does anyone know what I am holding in my hand?

Does anyone know why its called a square?

Someone inspect both of these squares- let me know which one you think is square!

There is a way to test it! (Describe) - then show picture (Slide)

Why is this important?

This is what can happen if things arent just square- “We will just eyeball it” (Slide)

Part of what it means to be faithful and trustworthy, involves being both true and reliable, thats one part of what we will be exploring in God’s Character?

Biblical Faith isnt Blind Faith!

Faith has often been described as a LEAP! Belief in the unseen!

Faith isnt I jump out a window and believe with all my might there is a trampoline. Thats just being really dumb right?

Let me illustrate with this, suppose I say, “I believe theres a elephant in the room- a big one!

Does that mean there is one?

Do you see one or have any reason to believe there is one?

Biblical Faith is different than blind faith its faith in something we may not be able to see, but there is evidence to believe its there!

Transition: We are going to explore two things this morning, What makes God faithful and trustworthy? (Even when we face horrible circumstances) and What does it mean for us to put our trust in God’s faithfulness or to have faith. (Before we start can someone please start a timer- sit down on stool)

Walking Trough the Biblical Text

Biblical Words for Faithful and Trustworthy

Emet - faithful, true, steady. This is the word used in exodus 34:6.

In numbers 17, When moses has to hold his arms up to win battle his friends give him a rock to sit on and hold up his hands to keep them Emet

Moses and David describe God as a rock or full of emet.

Psalm 18:2 (Slide)

He’Emim - Verb form of Emet - to put trust in or have faith!

Transition: I want to look at how God is full of emet or faithful through the Biblical story using Abraham as a case study.

Abraham and Sarah - they are the first to show He’ Emim to Yahweh

Read 12:1-3 (Slide)

Here we see God’s promise to Abraham

Can someone read Gen 15:1-6 outloud for us?

Here we see Abraham have Emet or He’ Emim in God!

Transition: Question is, in the Biblical story was God trustworthy?

God’s Faithfulness Proven through the Story

In 4 Generations Abraham’s family becomes a nation

When enslaved in Egypt, God is faithful and rescues them!

In turn, Israel He’ Emim’s in God (Covenant/Marriage)

Yet, later on they fail to trust God several times!

Then we get to King David- One that the bible says is a person of Emet, continually trusts God

God then promises in 2nd Samuel 7:16 that God will establish his throne forever! David’s Kingdom will have Emet.

But, then in 597 the Kingdom is destroyed by the Babylonians. That year was the last year a Jewish King was on the throne.

People Questioned God’s Emet: How are you trustworthy?

Examples:

Psalm 89:38-41

Lam 2: 7

They ask what about your promises? is God trustworthy?

The opening lines of Matthew is an answer to that!

Jesus is God’s faithfulness proved

Matthew traces Jesus all the way back to Abraham!

Jesus, the answer to the promise

How is God faithful in Jesus

Came to show us how to live and love! Literally explains the covenant and law

Shows us Yahweh! Brought healing and restoration through his teaching and ministry?

Then he sacrificed his life so we could be free from sin (The thing that constantly gets in the way from fuffiling the promise to be a blessing to others)

Saved us from Death, so we can have eternal life!

That in a nutshell is the answer to the Big Question: how do we know God is trustworthy? Look at the story, Look at Jesus and all He did.

Michael said, I believe in God because of what the Bible says and what Jesus did. Thats how we can have faith!

What does it mean to have faith?

Objections: You might be thinking:

That was back then and we cant really see God the same way

How is God trustworthy when really bad things happen?

The answer isnt easy, Trusting anyone is always a risk. Trusting anything is a risk right.

Stool illustration: I have been sitting on this stool for how long? (Ask whoever is timing)

How many of you questioned wether or not the chair would just spontaneously fall apart?

I didnt think, once can I really trust this chair.

This is just a piece of wood, yet I trust it without thinking!

Yet, when it comes to God, we wonder?

How can we trust in Yahweh with the same automation as we do sitting in a chair, driving a car, tractor or even sitting here (trusting the building wont colapse)

Don’t be blinded by circumstance! Let’s go back and look at Sarah and Abraham and what it meant for them to have trust! (Slide)

Sarah had faith, despite here circumstances- but look at what she had faith in, not that it would work out, or in her body, or abilities, but considered Him faithful who made the promise

This wasnt blind faith, but reason- she considered God to be faithful

Move Beyond mental ascent into Action

When God called Abram out of his land, Abraham didnt just consider God’s command or say yeah I agree with that (slide) he obeyed!

Read hebrews 11 this week, You will find that faith is almost always followed by action!

View Community as a vital part of Faith (Most important reason for being in Church)

What happens when one person in this room feels that they dont have reason to trust

We need each other to really have faith, because when I cant see God working, guess what it doesnt mean he’s not!

Frank might see God or Elsie or Nelson. We need to be able to say to each other (God is trustworthy… He did this in my life)

This is why we need each other church, so everytime I cant see God Barb, Joanne, or Steve can say, its okay Joe I see him!

Illustration: Josh or Issac can you get the chair against the wall and put it somewhere behind me?

Now I cant see the chair, but is it there? Yes

If I sit down right now will I land in it?

Youre going to help me put my trust in the chair, help guide me please!

Even when Im sitting, I still cant see it entirely!

This is what it means to have faith in God’s trustworthiness.

Application:

We know that God is trustworthy. We see it in the Bible. We have seen it in our lives!

Yet, We need to trust Him more! Not just in the good times, but trust Him so much so that even in the Bad times

God I cant see you, but I know youre their because they saw you in the bible and my church family sees you!

Move Beyond our Blind Faith or our half-hearted faith!

Take a risk and trust God more. Its risky, it may hurt, but it will be worth it.

What does it mean to trust Him? Go to him more, in prayer, in service.

Trusting that His character, all the things we have learned about who God is compassionate, slow to anger, abounding and loyal love, forgiving, yet just.

All of these are not only true but they will remain true!

Share God’s faithfulness with others, Faithfulness inspires others to have faith in!

1 Peter 3:15- Give an answer for your hope, your faith.

Don’t just tell people God is real, show them how He is real to you!

Imagine: What would change..

If we trusted God like we trust a chair or our car… imagine the intamacy of relaitonship the power of our prayer

If we learned to stop asking move beyond how is God trustworthy if this happened and say I trust God despite the circumstance.

if our response to God’s faithfulness wasnt just faith, but being faithful in sharing.

Benediction:

I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. He is faithful Church!