God is Faithful- Be Faithful

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 
This Sunday we will begin the last chapter of 2 Thessalonians. Our specific text is 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5. It appears that the driving point of this last section is to remember the faithfulness of God. A faithful exposition of the first five verses will properly characterize Paul’s argument with these words: God is faithful- be faithful.

Obviously the Bible is a demonstration from Genesis to Revelation of God’s faithfulness. There are many passages that remind us of God’s faithfulness but here are some of my personal favorite:

• If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself.—2 Timothy 2:13
• ... who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?—Psalm 89:8
• Righteousness shall be the belt of His waist, and faithfulness the belt of His loins.—Isaiah 11:5
• Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.—Psalm 36:5
• The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.—Lamentations 3:22–23
• God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it?Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?—Numbers 23:19
  

 
A casual reading through these passages serves as a reminder that His faithfulness is great, vast, incomparable. He never forgets, never fails, never stumbles, never goes back on his word. He always keeps his promises. Author and Professor Wayne Grudhem shares this simple insight about the faithfulness of God in his book on Systematic Theology; “God’s faithfulness means that God will always do what He has said and fulfill what He has promised.”

This is the message that Paul is declaring to the church at Thessalonica: Despite your raw emotions and regardless of your surrounding circumstances, you can trust and rest in the fact that God is always faithful. If that is true, you cannot be shaken! You can trust and rest in the peace and security that comes from God. 

I don’t know about you but I need that message as well! I need the daily reminder that God is faithful. I need to remember that He who began a good will continue and complete it when Jesus returns. Let me encourage you to think about His faithfulness in the past, the present and the future. I think we serve ourselves and others well when we intentionally remember the faithfulness of God. If you desire to faithfully pursue God, remember His faithfulness toward you! 
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Pastor Billy