Every now and then, you meet someone whose word means something. When they say that they'll show up, you can always count on them to show up. Promise they'll handle it. You know they've got it handled. Their integrity literally becomes their signature. I think about people like that and someone whose actions echoed their promises. Maybe it was a parent who said, I'll be there for you. And they were. Maybe it was a significant person in your life who said that they would be there. And they followed through. And as a result of following through, you were able to build your trust. In a world full of broken promises, it's rare to find someone who does what they say they're going to do. But in this passage of Scripture, Paul is very clear. He makes a profound statement. He makes this statement about God. He says God is faithful. And he says that God will do it.
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Paul is saying that the one who called you is not careless with his words. He's not a man that he should lie. God will keep his word. Paul is saying that God doesn't send you where his grace can't keep you. And he does not promise what his power cannot perform. But whatever God promised to you and said to you, he will. He will do it.
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Paul is saying that God's promise is not pending. It's progressing. And what looks like the delay is just divine timing. And in its own time, it will come to pass. God will do it.
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Paul is saying that when God says he will do it, he is not announcing an ideal. But God is initiating an outcome. Paul is saying that what we have to do is just have faith. Because, you see, faith lives in the space between what God said and what God is going to do. So, when God makes a promise, it's as good as done. He doesn't draft possibilities. He declares certainties. He doesn't change like the weather, y'all. His character is strong. And whatever God has promised us, whatever God has said to us, we can count on him to do it.
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When God calls us, he's leading us somewhere. Scripture teaches us that when God calls us, he calls us to relationship. It's not just a one-time call, but God calls us into this relationship so that when we are serving, he walks with us. And he's with us every step of the way.
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What's interesting when we study being called by God, it's important to remember that the call is divine. It was born in heaven. The call is distinct. It was tailored just for you. The call was deliberate. It was planned by God. The call is definite. It's not up for debate. The call is demanding because when God calls us, he has a way of stretching us. The call is developing because when God calls us, he continues to shape who we are. The call can be dangerous because sometimes when God calls us, he calls us and invites opposition to come along. The call has purpose. The call is durable. It will outlast difficulty.
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What God is calling them to do, Calvary, he's calling them to grow and to mature. He's calling them to continue to develop. And if I can just help somebody this morning, before we talk about our call from God as it relates to our public ministry, we ought to focus on what God is calling us to do privately. I think somebody ought to say amen. So he's calling them to grow. In the context of this passage, he's calling them to mature. He's calling them to spiritually grow up, if you will.
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Greek word for faithful in this text carries with it the idea of someone who is dependable, someone who is reliable, someone who is worthy of belief, someone who is steadfast in commitment. The Greek scholars say that this word describes God in a very unique way. They say when God calls, what he's faithful to do is he will call, he will complete, he will keep his promise, and he will perform. And it's a good thing to know, Calvary, that we serve a faithful God.
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All I'm trying to say is that God is faithful and his faithfulness is unchanging. His faithfulness is unfailing. His faithfulness is unstoppable. Is there anybody here who can get happy about the fact that God is a faithful God and that he'll never let you down?
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Best way to describe his faithfulness is looking at the ideal of him being steadfast. He's sure in his promise. He's true to his word. He's eternal in his nature. He is active in his compassion. He is dependent in his character. He is firm in his love. He is always present. He is secure in power. And he is trustworthy in his timing. God is faithful. And I tell you this morning that if we don't celebrate anything else, we ought to celebrate the fact that we serve a faithful God.
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Can I tell you what his faithfulness means? First of all, his faithfulness means that he will sustain us through our struggles. Aren't you glad about that? Anybody here ever had any struggles? Maybe struggling right now. Can I just help you and remind you of something? The only reason that you're here right now is because God has sustained you. Look at somebody and tell them it's by the grace of God. He sustains us when we struggle.
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He strengthens our confidence. You study this word faithfulness throughout the Bible. You discover that God will strengthen your confidence. Isn't it amazing that God calls us to do stuff that's so much bigger than we are? Turn and ask your neighbor. Ask him, have you ever been there? Sometimes our confidence is not where it should be. But, oh, aren't you glad that God has a way of strengthening us when it comes to our confidence?
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God is faithful. He sustains us when we struggle. He strengthens our confidence. But he also finishes whatever he starts. Aren't you glad about that? And that's what this verse is all about. It's the one who called you. Paul says, he's faithful. And he will do it.
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What Paul is saying is this, that God will perfect us. He will perfect us. Look at what he says in verse 23. The God of peace sanctify you wholly. And what Paul is saying is that God does not do a partial work. He's saying that God is working on us. He says he's perfecting our character. He's cleansing our conscience. He's shaping our conduct so that as he works on us, works in us, and works through us, he's molding us so that we can be a reflection of who he is. He's sanctifying us.
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And can I just encourage somebody today who has made some mistakes in life, the good news is that God has not given up on you. Ah, you ought to turn to your neighbor and tell him, God has not given up on you. As a matter of fact, he's still working. He's still working on your mind. He's still working on your heart. He's still working with you as you walk. I know that some folk have given up on you because of some of the mistakes that you have made. But we don't serve a God like that. Can I help you this morning? Everything that you've ever done and ever will do, he already knows. He already knew all about it. And he still loves you. He's still working on you. He's still perfecting you.
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The verse not only says that he perfects us, the verse says he preserves us. Look at what it says. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless. Because, in other words, God doesn't just save us. Here it is. He safeguards us. God does not just deliver us. He defends us. Do I have a witness here? And aren't you glad today that you have a God who defends you, defends your soul, defends your spirit? Aren't you glad about it? Aren't you glad that you serve a God who defends you when the enemy begins to accuse you, when the devil begins to accuse you of the things that you've done wrong? Aren't you glad that we serve a God who covers us with his blood?
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Jesus, you are in the hand of God and nobody and nothing can snatch you out. Aren't you glad that God has built a hedge around you and is protecting you right now?
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He will present us and when he presents us, he presents us complete. In other words, Paul is saying that when Jesus comes, something wonderful is going to happen. He, God is going to be working on the inside and then when it's time to meet our maker, we will be presented faultless. Somebody say faultless. It starts with grace but it finishes with glory. In other words, God is going to work out all of the imperfections in our life and when it's all said and done, we'll be presented blameless. Somebody say blameless. Somebody else say blameless. Oh, come on, y'all. That's a great work.
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And if we were honest this morning and we were talking about ourselves, we would have to admit that the Lord has a whole lot of work to do in my life. Do I have a witness here? But you ought to turn turn to your neighbor and tear us together and give God praise. He's faithful. He's a faithful God. And because he's faithful, he's going to finish everything that he has begun in our lives.
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Has he been faithful when you've been fragile? Has he been faithful when you've been frustrated? Has he been faithful when you've made a mistake? Has he been faithful when friends walked away? Has he been faithful when you've been fearful? Has he been faithful in the midnight hour somebody in here ought to give god praise because he's been faithful he's faithful when we're in the valley he's faithful when we have the victory he's faithful to every promise come on y'all give god some praise because he's a faithful god he's faithful and not only is he faithful but everything that he has started in your life god will finish it
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If he's able to handle that then whatever promise he has made to you he has the ability he has the power so i want you to just hold on to god's unchanging hand i want you to just hold on because if he promised it it will come to pass look at somebody and tell them it will come to pass it will come to pass if he promised it it will come to pass god is reliable
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God is still working in you he's building you he's molding you he's making you there's some internal stuff he's doing so that when you get there and when you get it you'll be ready for it ain't nothing worse than getting something that you ain't ready for god is preparing you he's making you he's molding you and it will happen and that's what paul was saying to this church whatever it is that god has called you to do he's going to make sure you prepare and he's going to make sure that it happens
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