New Year New Establishment

Happy New Year! As we reflect on the past year, we can be thankful for all of the wonderful blessings God has bestowed upon us. We can also be excited for the coming year as we consider all of the new opportunities and possibilities that await us.

When I prayed unto the Lord, God gave a promise from 2 Thessalonians 3:3. I believe in the Lord, this is the promise for all of us. I would like to invite everyone to open up your Bibles and look at this verse. Here, the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, taught us these truths and the promise Word.

Let's read from the ESV together. “But the Lord is faithful; he will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

The Lord is faithful to us, the Lord is faithful to the Church and he will establish you, and guard you against the evil one. In verse 4 of Chapter 3; “We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things that we command you.” This is the important point to incline the promise of God. The Lord directs our hearts. Love the Lord our God and steadfastness of Christ in order to incline the promise of God.

The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, and are careful to observe them. Deuteronomy 28:13.

The first five verses are this singular proclamation of the Lord's faithfulness. In contrast to man's unfaithfulness and wickedness and evil. Even when our enemies attack us, the Lord is always faithful to spiritually protect His people and will sovereignly accomplish His purpose. Even from the beginning of the old testament God’s faithfulness or faith has been a strong part of His character. Faith is a prominent part of God’s character.

I.God is faithful:

Paul doesn't go to great depth in the Character of the Lord. He just makes this statement “the Lord is faithful”. He's actually simply stating an essence, or a part of God's character. He's describing God's character. Something that always is whenever he does anything. So when God is loving, He is faithfully loving. When God is judging, he is faithfully judging. When God is chasing or disciplining; when God is doing anything does he ever do it unfaithfully? The answer is a powerful NO. Because God is faithful. It's Essential. It's a core aspect of who He is. It's His character. And Paul just simply states the Lord is faithful.

a) God is faithful to His people: God is Trustworthy: God is faithful. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.- 1 Corinthians 1:9. He’s Dependable, Promise keeping, trustworthy. You can go on and on. Its theologically groundwork for us. The Lord is faithful, in fact you cannot deny this or even have trouble believing it. Every hour and every decade God will be faithful to us, because he wants to conform you to mold you into the image of his Son. He promises to do that, and he will keep his word. He's dependable. The Lord is faithful. And so, trust that he is faithful to you throughout the year 2023. Amen. Can everyone say Amen.

b) God is faithful to His Word:

Not only will He not deny you, He cannot deny Himself. “If we are faithless He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim 2:13) – that's a promise. God's faithfulness is not based on our faithfulness towards Him. His faithfulness flows from His unchanging nature and love for us. He is forever faithful. God's faithfulness gives us value. The faithfulness of God is demonstrated by sacrificing His one and only Son, Jesus, for those who come to Him. Even though we don't value ourselves — He still values each and every living soul as worthy of being redeemed and set free from the power of sin. The Lord is faithful to ALL His promises and love is towards ALL He has made” Psalm 145:13.

God has been demonstrating His faithfulness towards His people since the beginning, and He’s never stopped. Just think how many times the children of Israel disobeyed God and turned their backs on Him— yet He delivered them time and time again. He protected and provided for them, even when they complained, mistreated and misunderstood Him. It is truly amazing! Faithfulness towards us is not based on our faithfulness towards Him. It’s not based on what we do; it doesn’t depend on us. God’s faithfulness flows from His unchanging nature and love for us, and He is forever faithful.

II. He will Establish you: