God Is Faithful Series

As we have considered the attributes of God, last week we looked at God never changing. The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. Only God can say “I never change.” (Malachi 3:6). Very closely related to the unchangeableness of God is His faithfulness.

When we encounter a most holy God, we cannot help but reflect on the contrast between God and ourselves. When we see how very holy God is, we begin to see how unholy we are. When we see how mighty God is, we begin to see how weak and dependent on Him we are. And when we see how faithful He is in all things, we realize how unfaithful we really are.

This morning we will be looking through the Book of Lamentations, Which is Jeremiah’s weeping for his people. We see that that ancient Israel learned that lesson of being unfaithful to God the hard way, yet God’s faithfulness shows through.

Lamentations 3:22–24

In 1996, Marine Corps Commandant Charles C. Krulak began a program to remind Marines of the basic foundation of the Marine Corps known as the Core Values Program. General Krulak, re-emphasized the importance of returning to the Marine Corps' core tenets of honor, courage, and commitment. [1]

However, 1998 there was a call from the highest officials outside of the pentagon for the military to re-evaluated UCMJ (The Uniform Code of Military Justice) on the subject of adultery. The contention being was that military was much more strict and harsh over this matter than they needed to be. It just so happened that in this same time frame the President, then Bill Clinton, was being accused of perjury concerning his adulterous affair with Monica Lewinsky and in fact, later that year, in December 1998, Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives. So there was real interest in the matter of seriousness of the crime of adultery. It would seem that from the highest levels of Government, there was much interest downplaying the impact of adultery.

So the Military joint chiefs began to look into the matter of easing the penalties for the crime of adultery within the ranks of the military. The Marine Corps had made its opposition to leniency for adultery clear. In an email letter to the Navy Times, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Charles Krulak wrote: "Downgrade the consequences of adultery--lower standards? Not in the Marine Corps. Not under this commandant!"

He continued: "Having fought two tours in Vietnam and once in Desert Storm, I drew strength from Marines . . . who knew what `vow' meant, and that I could count on them to meet their commitments. A Marine who would cheat on his spouse is a Marine who lacks commitment." [2]

“Semper Fidelis” (“Always Faithful”) is the official motto of the Marine Corps. General Krulak, a devout Christian, essentially said, what part of being “always faithful” do you propose we do away with? He stood firm his ground and in the end, the military ended up tightening the UCMJ regulation concerning adultery. (Unfortunately, the UCMJ has loosen it’s penalties for adultery in recent years.)

The Marines are called to be “Always Faithful” in all aspects of their conduct, on and off the battle field. How much more faithful is our heavenly Father! Whether we are ensnared by life’s hardships and struggles, or faced with overwhelming temptations, we are never cut off from God’s faithfulness. He is true to His character. He is reliable and trustworthy and can be counted on always.

What does God's faithfulness mean to us? Here’s a simple definition: “God’s faithfulness means that everything He says and does is certain.” He is 100% reliable, 100% of the time. He does not fail, forget, falter, change, or disappoint. He says what He means and means what He says ¬ and therefore does everything He says He will do.

Here are some key Passages on God’s Faithfulness:

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments

Joshua 21:45 Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.

Psalm 89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

I could easily go on and one with many other references. The Bible is full of passages about the faithfulness of God. But as we examine the faithfulness of God, there is good news and bad news – How can there be bad news about god's faithfulness? Hang with me for a minute. First the bad news.