The Lord Is Faithful

Alba 4-7-2024

THE LORD IS FAITHFUL

II Thessalonians 3:1-5

There was an advertisement which read, “Faithful Dog For Sale”. So a guy called up the owner for details and said, “Hey, I saw your offer for a faithful dog, I have a couple of questions.”

“Shoot.” “Is he good with kids?” “Very. He’s kind and gentle and has endless patience.” “Is he a yard dog or house dog?” “House trained but loves the yard as well.”

“Cool. Last, is he really faithful?” “Oh yeah, very faithful. This is the fifth time I’m selling him.”

Someone said that if you ever want to find out who is more faithful... your wife or your dog, lock both in the trunk of your car for 6 hours and watch who is happier to see you when you let them out.

By the way, which animal is not faithful in a relationship? The answer: Cheetah. You might have thought I was going to say: People. It is true that some men are not better than animals in the way they conduct themselves with women. But as unfaithful as many people are, there is one who is always faithful. The Lord is faithful!

Before the apostle Paul closes his second letter to the church in Thessalonica, he made sure to remind them of this fact. In II Thessalonians 3:1-5 we read this: “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.

“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.”

I am sure that many of us here today can attest to the fact that we have experienced the faithfulness of God in various circumstances that we have had to face in this life. It is a blessing to be able to say we have a faithful God.

But those experiences did not come without difficulties. No one in this life glides through day by day without many problems, pains and sorrows. So where does that put God's faithfulness? What does it mean when we say that God is faithful?

Some think that it means when a person is putting trust in God and depending on Him for good outcomes, that everything should work out without any problem at all. Some sermons by some preachers have given that impression to too many people. Then when a problem arises, it puts them in a place where they begin to doubt God and lose any faith that they had.

When Paul tells the Thessalonian Christians that the Lord is faithful, notice, he says it right after he asked them to pray that he would be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. It is clear that he was experiencing some problems. And boy did he! Look at what he says about some of those experiences in II Corinthians 11:22-30. He says:

“Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.”

And yet, this same apostle Paul proclaims “The Lord is Faithful”. To some it would seem odd. But Paul was not a Pollyanna. Because in all his trouble he found that he could trust God to faithfully care for him.

He could ask the Thessalonians to pray for deliverance from those who would try to stop him from telling people about Jesus because he knew that God would listen to their prayers. He also knew that often his own prayers were answered.