THE GOD WHO CANNOT FAIL YOU (1)

The God of FaithfulnessWHEN THE GROUND BENEATH YOU GIVES WAYThere is a particular kind of exhaustion that only comes from trusting people – or trusting circumstances – that were never designed to bear the weight of your hope.Maybe you know it. The friend who promised to be there and wasn't. The employer who praised your work on Monday and let you go on Friday. The diagnosis that arrived the same week as your retirement party. We live in a world where nearly everything we lean on has a breaking point, and most of us have already discovered a few of them.Listen to how the prophet Jeremiah put his finger on this universal human wound:5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord…7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence (Jeremiah 17:5, 7 NLT).Whose faithfulness am I actually building my life on?God’s character has three aspects. First, God's faithfulness is the foundation of His very character – it’s not something He does; it's who He is. Second, His faithfulness holds even when we fail – it rests on His oath, not our performance. Third, His faithfulness is practical, proven in the wilderness – it covers your shoes, your bread, and your tomorrow. Finally, this faithfulness produces a hope that does not disappoint.1. THE FOUNDATION: FAITHFULNESS IS GOD'S CHARACTER“I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens” (Psalm 89:1–2 NLT).The psalmist doesn't say, “I will sing of the great things God did.” He says, “I will sing of the LORD's great unfailing love … and make your faithfulness known.” He's not celebrating an event. He's celebrating His character.“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants” (Psalm 89:14 NLT).The Hebrew word translated “truth” is also “faithfulness”. We can read “Unfailing love and faithfulness walk before you as attendants.”This is one of the most important sentences in the Bible for understanding who God is. The throne of the universe does not rest on power. It does not rest on intelligence, beauty, or even love in the abstract. The throne of the universe rests on righteousness and justice – and walking out in front of that throne, preceding His face, are love and faithfulness.What does that mean for you? It means God's faithfulness is not a mood. God doesn't wake up faithful on good days and waver on bad ones. He doesn't love you more on Sunday than He does on the Thursday you failed Him. His faithfulness isn't a decision He makes – it’s a description of what He is. You might as well ask the sun to consider not rising tomorrow as ask God to consider being unfaithful to His word.The Hebrew word for faithfulness here – emunah – is the same word used in Exodus 17 for Moses' hands held up during the battle against Amalek. His hands were “steady” – firm, unwavering, held in place. That is the picture: God's faithfulness is steadiness. It surrounds Him, the psalmist says in verse 8 – the KJV renders it, “thy faithfulness round about thee.” It's not one garment He puts on; it's the atmosphere He lives in.You can build your life on that. You can trust it fully.Some are trying to figure out whether God is still trustworthy because of something that happened – a prayer that went unanswered the way you wanted, a loss you can't explain. Hear this: faithfulness is not proven when everything goes your way. Faithfulness is proven when God's character remains exactly what He said it was – and His character, the foundation of His very throne, is that He cannot be anything but faithful.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

神绝不让你失望（一)

信实的神当你脚下的大地崩塌有一种疲惫，是只有当你依赖别人、信靠环境的时候，它才会产生 —— 你把盼望寄托在人或环境上，可任何人、任何环境，都从来无力承载你盼望的重量。你或许也体会过：朋友说会陪着你，结果却没来；老板周一还夸你做得好，周五就把你炒了；准备办退休庆祝那一周，却拿到了不好的诊断结果。活在这个世界上，几乎所有我们倚靠的东西都有撑不住的那一天，而大多数人都有过这样的经历了。听听先知耶利米如何描述这种人类共有的创伤：5 上主这样说：那“些信靠区区世人，仗赖人的力量，心中背弃上主的，这样的人当受诅咒……7 “但那些信靠上主，以上主为他们所盼望所信赖的，这样的人是有福的……（耶利米书 17:5-8 新普及译本）我的人生到底建立在谁的信实上？神的属性有三个方面。第一，神的信实是祂本性的根基 —— 这不是祂要做的事，而是祂本来的样子。第二，就算我们跌倒，祂的信实依旧不变；这是因祂发过誓，不在于我们的表现。第三，祂的信实能落实在我们的生活中，这在旷野中已经被验证 —— 祂的信实涵盖了你的日常所需，从你的鞋子、你的食物，到你的明天。最后，这份信实会生出不让人失望的盼望。1. 根基：信实是神的属性“我要歌唱耶和华的慈爱，直到永远。我要用口将你的信实传与万代。 因我曾说，你的慈悲必建立到永远，你的信实必坚立在天上。”（诗篇 89:1–2）诗人没有说：“我要歌颂神所行的大事。” 他说：“我要歌颂耶和华不变的慈爱…… 传扬你的信实。”他赞美的不是某一件神迹，而是神本身的属性。“公义和公平是你宝座的根基；慈爱和诚实行在你前面。”（诗篇 89:14）“诚实”一词的希伯来原文也有“信实”的意思。我们可以理解为：不失败的慈爱和信实如使者行在你面前。这是圣经里帮助我们认识神的最重要的经文之一。掌管宇宙的宝座并不是建立在权能上，也不是建立在智慧、美好或是抽象意义的爱之上。宇宙的宝座是以公义和公平为根基；而在宝座前、行在祂面前的，就是慈爱与信实。这对你意味着什么？意味着神的信实不是一种心情。神不会在顺境中信实，而在逆境中动摇。祂不会在主日更爱你，却在你辜负祂的那个周四就减少对你的爱。祂的信实不是祂临时做出的选择，而是对祂本性的描述。你想要神背弃祂的话语，就好比叫太阳明天不要升起一样。这里表示“信实”的希伯来文是 emunah，出埃及记 17 章记载摩西与亚玛力人争战时，形容摩西双手稳住，用的也是这个词。他的手是“稳固” 的 —— 坚定、不动摇，持续举着那根杖。这就是这个词描绘的画面：神的信实，就是这份坚定不移。诗人在第 8 节说，信实环绕着祂，钦定版圣经译作 “信实围绕在你四周”。这不是祂穿上的一件外衣，而是祂所携带的属灵氛围。你可以把你的人生建立在祂的信实上，完完全全信靠祂。有些人还在琢磨：神到底信不信得过。因为曾经，祷告没有按照你期待的方式成就，或是你遭遇了一些无法解释的损失。我亲爱的朋友，请听：万事顺遂不能证明神的信实。神的信实在于：即使遭遇不顺，祂的本性依旧如祂所说的一样 —— 祂的本性，祂宝座的根基，决定了祂不可能失信于你。张耀光牧师 新加坡信心教会请访问我们的中文播客,faithchurch.sg/牧师手札/#牧师手札 ... See MoreSee Less