Why Does the Truth and Faithfulness of God Matter?

The Attributes of God

[If you slipped in late, again – Good morning, I’m glad you could worship with us today. And this morning we’re going to be finishing a sermon series that we started toward the beginning of the summer. For the past couple months, we’ve been considering the attributes of God that are revealed throughout the whole scope of the Bible. And as we’ve been highlighting distinct attributes, we haven’t just been pulling these categories out of thin air. But for centuries Christians have found the Westminster Shorter Catechism to give a helpful summary of Biblical teaching. And we’ve been highlighting the attributes of God mentioned in Catechism Question and Answer 4. And we’ve seen how God is infinite, eternal, and unchanging in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice and goodness. And then finally, today, we’ll considering one more attribute of God – the truth of God. And we’ll unpack what it means for God to be true, and why how it impacts us that God is a God of truth.

So if you have a Bible nearby, please turn with me to Psalm 117. If you’re using one of our church Bibles, you can find our text on page _____.

But before I read our text, any time we come to God’s word, we need the work of His Spirit, to give us insight, and to give us a rightly teachable heart. So let’s ask God for his kindness together. Let’s pray:

[Pray]

Now, as I get ready to read the text here – I’m going to do something a bit unusual. Because, first I’m actually going to read an older English translation of Psalm 117 – the King James Version, originally published in 1611.  And then I’m going to read Psalm 117 using a more modern translation, the ESV, which is the translation of our church Bibles here. And I want to read both of these, side by side, because I think it’ll help us have a better idea of what Christians historically meant when they affirmed that God is infinite, eternal, and unchanging in his truth. So here’s Psalm 117 in the King James Version: “O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.” Notice that last part – the truth of the LORD endureth forever. Now compare it to the ESV.

[Read Text]

The “Truth” of God Praised in Psalm 117 Refers to His Faithfulness

You’ll notice that our modern English translations, like the ESV – they don’t use the word truth in verse 2. But they use a different word. The word faithfulness. And I think that helps us, as English speakers today, to grasp the meaning of this verse a bit better. It helps us to understand a key aspect of who God is.

And so this morning, as we consider the attribute of God’s truth – or his faithfulness – the structure of my sermon will be rather simple. First, I’ll point out a few aspects of how God’s faithfulness is communicated in Scripture. And then I’ll point out some key applications – how God’s faithfulness connects to us.

How the Faithfulness of God is Communicated

So, let’s see how this attribute of God is communicated from Scripture. And to start, we’ll nail down a clearer definition of what this is.

When Psalm 117 speaks about God’s truth – about his faithfulness, the big point being made is that God is thoroughly trustworthy. He’s reliable, stable, firm. In the original Hebrew there’s a closely related word that helps to illustrate this. It’s actually the word for pillar or doorpost. And envision this – just as a pillar is the stable column of rock that’s depended on to hold up a building – or in the same way that doorposts are solid wood frames that hold up a door – the faithfulness of God expresses the idea that he supports those who lean on him. He doesn’t have any flubs, fake-outs, failings. But God is reliable.

And so this word actually goes further than simply saying that God is strong. Because tornados are strong, but in a rather chaotic and dangerous way. And the Detroit Lions football team is strong, and yet they have a way of coming up short, and letting people down. But the specific language that’s used about the truth, or the faithfulness of God – it communicates the basic definition that God is reliable, and that he should be relied upon.

And this is especially the case – because when we talk about God being reliable – we’re not saying that he’s just one reliable support among many. But God’s dependability – his faithfulness – is the ultimate pillar that holds up everything else. There would be no universe if he didn’t uphold it by the Word of His power. Anything we find on earth that reflects any level of soundness – it owes all of its stability to God.

Because it’s only in him that we find the fullest, firmest, truest form of faithfulness. He’s reliable in his character, reliable in his works, and reliable in absolutely everything that he says. And that helps to explain why God is especially praised for his truth – for his faithfulness – here in Psalm 117.

But of course, Psalm 117 mentions another important thing about God’s faithfulness. We’re told about the duration of God’s faithfulness. Because verse 2 of our text says that “the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.” And basically, this means that God is always reliable. You could say, He’s reliably reliable. It might almost seem redundant to make this point. But God isn’t just wasting words, and echoing ideas here for no purpose. But he’s showing that his faithfulness – his dependability – is categorically better than the dependability of all other things.

If you ever go shopping to purchase a major appliance for your kitchen, like a refrigerator, usually the refrigerator comes with a warranty from the company that made it. And basically, this warranty is a guarantee, from the refrigerator company, that the product you’re getting is going to work reliably. And if it doesn’t, they’ll pay the bill to set things right.

But for most companies, they just offer that warranty for one year. Of course, it can get a little bit better than that. For some of the higher end refrigerators, you might be able to get a 5-year warranty that covers full service repairs or replacement. But most companies have realized that they can’t really stand behind warranties much longer than that. They’re happy to give assurance that their refrigerator will be reliable for a few years. But the dependability of their product ultimately has an expiration date.

Even for certain products, like Craftsman handtools, that supposedly have a lifetime warranty – the thing that’s being guaranteed isn’t that the products won’t ever fail. But the idea that the product will be replaced or repaired for as long as the company is still in business. But as it turns out, there’s no guarantee that the company will be around in 10 years. All it takes is a season of bad management, or a major economic crisis – and that guarantee may be gone. And so even when we’re talking about reliable warranties, from seemingly reliable companies, there’s always a question mark.

But see, the trueness and reliability of God is different. It’s much better than this. Because God won’t ever go bankrupt, or cease to be in operation. He won’t change his policies. And not only does God support his people with a lifetime warranty. But he tells us that his faithfulness is forever. His faithfulness to those who trust him – it continues beyond our earthly lifetimes. And here’s a side thought: the only way this makes sense, is if there’s life after death. The forever-faithfulness of God clearly implies that resurrection from the dead and eternal life are coming for God’s people. And so the duration of God’s faithfulness is a big deal.

But if that’s all we knew about the truth of God’s character – if all we had was a definition, and an idea of its duration – I think we’d still have a hard time grasping what this faithfulness is like. Because it would still be kind of hypothetical and abstract. It would probably seem impersonal.

But as God communicates who he is in the Bible, not only does he declare himself to be faithful and true, but as a special kindness to us, God also demonstrates it. And what we see in the Bible is that he does this a certain way. God emphasizes his faithfulness by making covenants. And what this looks like, is God sets up a special relationship with certain people, he defines the terms, he makes solemn commitments, and he gives a visible sign to confirm his earnestness. He makes covenants.

Now for people in Biblical times, covenants weren’t a strange idea. It was actually a very normal part of society. Whenever two parties wanted to formalize some sort of relationship or agreement, they would make a covenant. Even today, people enter into formal commitments like this. There’s the marriage covenant, where the bride and groom make vows before God, and they exchange rings as a sign of their loyalty. Or here’s another example – when people make business deals, they often have contracts to give legal assurance that they’re going to follow through on what they said. It’s a pledge that they aren’t going to be dishonest or fickle. We appreciate the security of fixed agreements like this, don’t we? So covenants between people make sense. It builds trust.

But the thing that you and I should find surprising, is that God makes covenants. Because there’s really no question about God’s honesty. He shouldn’t need to prove his trustworthiness to us. And really, we shouldn’t expect that God would restrict himself, and tie himself down by making promises to creatures he made out of dirt. Especially given all the ways we’ve resisted his Word and wronged him.

And yet, God chooses to demonstrate his faithfulness by covenanting with people. And this is unfolded more and more as you work through the Bible. In Genesis 9, he makes a general covenant with Noah, and his sons, and the creation. And God solemnly pledges in this covenant that he’ll never again destroy the earth with floodwaters. He gives the rainbow as a sign of his commitment. And of course, ever since, God’s word has proven reliable.

But then in Genesis 12, God demonstrates his faithfulness in an even more specific way. And he forms a special covenant with a man named Abraham, and with his offspring – who end up becoming the Jewish people. At the start of the book of Exodus, we see that God remembers his covenant with Abraham. And he demonstrates his enduring faithfulness to the Jews in some major ways. He rescues them from slavery in Egypt. And he sets them apart as a special nation with special expectations. Years after this, God continues to care for the Jewish nation, and he gives them a great King, David. And God makes an additional covenant promise in 2 Samuel 7, that a greater King than David is coming whose throne will never come to an end. And as God continues to display his faithfulness to generations and generations of these Jews – we’re able to see just how special his loyalty is. Because as time goes by, the Jews make a train-wreck of their relationship with God. They abandon the Scriptures, they worship idols, they nearly destroy themselves with their terrible life decisions. You’d expect the relationship to be over!

And yet God still remains faithful. In fact, he assures the Jews in Jeremiah 31 and 33 – not only does he intend to continue his special covenant relationship with them. But soon, he even intends to administer that relationship in a new way that’s even better. And that day is fulfilled with the arrival of the great King, Jesus Christ. God demonstrates his perfect faithfulness to keep the promises he’s made throughout the ages. And the good news is sent out to all nations, that anyone who receives King Jesus is forgiven of their wrongs, and filled with God’s Spirit. And forever they’ll be able to enjoy God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.

And so it’s fair to say – the whole story of the Bible is a deliberate demonstration of God’s faithfulness. God shows us his consistency over thousands and thousands of years because he wants to assure us, he’s dependable. More dependable than fireworks on the 4^th of July. More reliable than snow on Christmas morning.

And this is a rather big act of kindness toward us. Even though he could, God doesn’t just make verbal demands, “turn to me and trust me.” But first he makes sure we see how he has turned toward us, and that he’s really worthy to be trusted.

Don’t miss how God has communicated his faithfulness over the span of history. Of course, I expect for most of us, we haven’t missed it. It’s mentioned in the Bible often enough, I don’t think that this is a totally new idea. But even though God’s faithfulness may be familiar, I think we can sometimes have trouble actually grasping the reality of what it means for us. We might get to a place where we know what the Bible says about certain ideas. We know certain true things about God. But the next step of figuring out how those truths connect to the way we live – that be hard sometimes. So we’ll spend the rest of our time applying this attribute of God – addressing the question, how does God’s truth – his faithfulness – how does it connect to us?

How the Faithfulness of God Connects to Us

Of course, I’m not able to explain every possible application of God’s faithfulness. Because there are so many. God’s faithfulness is reflected for us in creation, in the mathematical consistency of natural laws. And God’s demonstrated faithfulness shows us that He God wants us to find assurance from him in this life – assurance of our salvation. We could also reflect on how God’s faithfulness is a model for how we should relate to our spouses and children. There’s so much here that we don’t have time to explore fully. But I want to give more attention to four basic ways that God’s trueness and faithfulness connects to us.

The first thing to realize is that God’s Faithfulness Guarantees for us the Truthfulness of what he says – particularly, the truthfulness of the Bible. This is pretty straightforward: since God is perfectly dependable – then, of course, all his words are dependable. It’s impossible for God to lie, as we’re told in Hebrews 6:18. Because God is true to the core of his being. He can’t stop being faithful. He can never not be reliable. It’s just who he is. It reminds me of the way that Pastor Josh eats apples. From what I’ve seen, he just can’t help but eat his apples from the top of the apple, down to the bottom of the apple. Because, apparently, it’s just tied up in who he is. Of course, that’s a ridiculous example. I’m just giving Pastor Josh a hard time.

But in all seriousness, God’s faithfulness is bound up in his being. And it means that whenever God speaks, you and I can be absolutely certain about the legitimacy of everything he says. Everything.

And I’m sure you’re aware – we can’t say this about anything else. Newspaper articles sometimes get information wrong. People sometimes lie. You and I often form opinions based on what we want to be true, instead of what’s really true. Our judgment is often distorted by our emotions. And of course – whenever we have a gut instinct about something, we’re never really sure – is this good intuition, or is this indigestion? These voices can fail us. But when God speaks, there’s no defect. There’s no deception. But God speaks absolute truth. And so when it comes to real questions in life – Christians have real answers!

We aren’t just left in a position where we make guesses, like, “Maybe that’s right for you, but this is what feels right for me.” But no – we’re able to discern what’s really right – we’re able to know what truly leads to happiness and fullness of life, because God tells us! He gives us the Scriptures, to declare wisdom, and salvation, and virtue, and glory. We can know the things of God, because in his faithfulness, out of his perfect trustworthiness, God has spoken, and has revealed spiritual things to us! So take God’s Word seriously, and treasure is. That’s application 1.

But as a second way that God’s faithfulness connects to us – consider this, too: God’s Faithfulness Grounds Our Hope – our hope for the future. I recognize that in a room like this, some of you may have had a really pleasant week. But for others of you, it may have felt like everything went wrong. But if you’re in Christ, trusting in him, it makes no difference what your circumstances are – if you have a faithful God in heaven – if you have a faithful Savior, who has paid for your sin and brought you to God – which you do, then your future is set. Because God has committed himself to us in a faithful relationship. That covenant was confirmed in Christ’s blood. And God has given baptism and the Lord’s Supper as signs to confirm – he’s going to stay committed to his Word.

And God points his people ahead, to the return of Christ. And he assures us – the best days for God’s people are ahead of us. In this life, we can expect to grow in faith, in humility, and in greater glorious Christlikeness because God is faithfully at work in us Spirit. But then even beyond, in the life to come – every last shred of anxiety and depression will be banished. We’ll enjoy acceptance in the embrace of our Father. We’ll be perfectly known by our brothers and sisters, but we won’t be tempted to feel shame, or to make comparisons. Because we’ll be adorned with glory, and our hearts will be full, and everything will be set right. Remember, God is reliable. He has promised this.

And yet – it’s just reality – there are seasons when Christians will still struggle to live with this hope in Christ. When you hear the diagnosis from the doctor, when you lose your job, when there’s conflict in the home – there can be a real struggle with doubt, even despair. Right? You might say to yourself, “I can’t make it one more day. I want to feel hopeful, but I just can’t. I just feel so beaten down.”

And certainly, if our future depended on our feelings of hope – if our future depended on our ambition or our optimism – we’d have something to worry about. But even when we’re in the deepest pits of hopelessness, the Christian’s great encouragement is that our future doesn’t rest in our hands. It doesn’t depend on our performance, or our feelings. But ultimately, our hope is anchored in the faithfulness of an Almighty God. Even when we no longer have the strength to walk – here’s the good news – we have a God who carries us. God’s faithfulness is what grounds our hope.

But here’s another practical application. Number 3: God’s Faithfulness Guards Us from Temptation. And here’s what I mean by this. God’s reliableness – especially in the way we experience it relationally – it’s really powerful in shutting down our desire to sin against him.

I want to give an illustration of this. In the late 1770s, as the Americans were fighting for independence, the Continental Army was perhaps at their lowest point. They spent the winter in Valley Forge, and it was a brutally cold winter. The army wasn’t supplied properly. And through the months in the snow and ice, there were a number of disease-related deaths. And given the situation, you’d maybe expect the army to give up – maybe even to revolt against the commanding officer.

And yet that’s not what happened. Because that commanding officer, General George Washington, he had proven his faithfulness to his troops. And even though he had a higher position, he didn’t get special housing for himself in Valley Forge. But he deliberately chose to spend the winter with his men. He remained with them night after night as they froze in their tents. And he was on the field with them day after day as they drilled and prepared for battle in the bitter wind. And so, as these soldiers considered General Washington, it was unthinkable that they’d rebel or mutiny. Because they loved him. They trusted him. Because he was a faithful man to them.

But of course, as Christians, we have a general much better than George Washington. We have a God, who not only came down to Valley Forge – but he entered the Valley of Death for us. He shivered alongside us, in the frail tent of a human body. And when the glorious Son of God walked on this earth, he not only suffered with us, but he took our place and suffered at the cross instead of us, to guarantee our future victory over sin. And in light of the greater faithfulness of God, how much more should we love him? Whenever the thought comes of sinning against God, insulting him, smacking him in the face, we should have a visceral reaction against the idea. Why on earth would we mistreat the God we love, when he’s been so present and so faithful for us?

I can almost guarantee – the people who sin against God most regularly are people who have a wrong idea of who he is – who imagine that God is harsh, and that his rules are oppressive. And so, naturally, they have no desire to live for God. If anything, these people might actually feel good about jabbing at him. Because they imagine that God is someone nasty.

But for us – if we’re remembering God’s faithfulness over the years, temptation will lose its sparkle. Our desire for sinning will melt away faster than butter in a bonfire. Because instead, our desire will be to serve him. So that’s how God’s faithfulness guards us against temptation. We remind ourselves how good he’s been to us. We spend time giving thanks for all the food, the clean water, the memories with family and friends, for good health, for the Bible, for the Church, for our jobs, for our homes. God has faithfully supported us minute after minute, week after week. Of course you want to live every second for God, don’t you?

But here’s the fourth and final application. God’s faithfulness also guides us into worship. And I’m ending here because this, in particular, is the application that we see in our text, here in Psalm 117. These verses tell us to praise the Lord all nations and to extol him all peoples, on account of the fact that God is great in his steadfast love, and because “the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.” And so we’re given this basic instruction to praise the Lord, for who he is – for his faithfulness.

And I really must say, this is great guidance for our worship. Of course it is – it’s in the Bible. But really – I’m convinced there’s something here we need to think about. Because more often than we realize, I think that we actually get this wrong.

And instead of praising the Lord, because of who He is, what we do instead is we really just praise the Lord when we feel like he’s being faithful to us. Or we only praise the Lord when we’re receiving some sort of tangible benefit from his faithfulness. And then otherwise, when we’re unhappy, or stressed out, or dealing with a big life problem – we might ask God to fix our problems. But we take a break from worshipping God for who he is. And we just become obsessed with ourselves, and our own issues.

But make sure you keep in mind – Psalm 117 isn’t just written for people who are having a really awesome day with God. This isn’t just a song that God’s people sang when their barns were full of food, their family was healthy, and the land was at peace. But Psalm 117 is a song for all seasons. All people of all nations are called to draw near to God, and to praise him – not because of what they feel, not because of what materials blessings they have – but they’re called to praise God, because of the precious faithfulness which flows from who God is.

Because even when we don’t sense it, God is still faithful. His faithfulness doesn’t ebb and flow like the sea tide. But in all seasons, in all places, God remains faithful to his Word, faithful to his people – faithful to who he is. And this is true of all God’s attributes – not just his faithfulness. His perfections aren’t just perfect in the moment that we’re seeing them, or experiencing them. But even on those days when everything seems grey, and the shadows seem darker and darker – even on those days, God is unchangingly brilliant and blazing with glory.

We aren’t just called to worship what we feel is true about God. But we’re called, in every season, to worship God for who he is. And this guards us from making worship about us. This guards us from making Sunday mornings about us, and about our experiences. Because worship is simply about prizing the reality of all that God is – in season and out of season.

And so even as you consider God’s faithfulness – it might feel really precious to you this morning. Or it may not seem to resonate very much with where you’re at. But in whatever case, the fact that God is committed to his people, and dependable in every way – it calls for our worship, our gratitude, and really, for our complete trust. Because God is true. He is the truth. And it’s in him, that we find security that lasts forever. Let’s pray: