Sermon intro: 

• Where we’ve been - Dark Days, Double Dose; Faithful in the House
• Today we’re going to talk about the faithful love of God
• Some things that are not super reliable right now:
  • Gas prices
  • Interest rates
  • Wifi
  • Cell phone signal
  • Apple maps
• Some things that unfortunately are reliable
  • Monday mornings
  • Laundry piles
  • Traffic jams
  • Federal tax

An insight you MUST know about God is that His LOVE can be depended on

Two words that stick out through Scripture:

• Hesed (need large image to accompany while I talk about it)
  • The Stork
  • INITIATING love - First one
  • LOYAL love - Last one
  • GENEROUS love - Over and beyond
  • KIND love - Smile
  • COVENANT love - Based on oath
• Emet (need large image to accompany while I talk about it)
  • The Stone
  • Emet is RELIABLE
  • Emet is SOLID
  • Emet is TRUE

Passage

Psalm 25:10 - The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands. 

Psalm 40:10 - I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. 

Psalm 57:3 - He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me. Interlude My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness. 

Psalm 85:10 - Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! 

Psalm 115:1 - Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.

Three roots of God’s Faithful Love

1. His Faithful CHARACTER
   1. We change:
      1. Styles, Music, Friends, Values, Beauty
   2. Faithfulness is not just a value of God, it is his Character. He will be faithful, even when we are unfaithful. 
   3. You can count on Him to not change! 
      1. Malachi 3:6 (NLT) — 6 “I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.
      2. James 1:17 (NLT) — 17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
   4. He is not one thing in the Old Testament, and something different in the New
      1. He has always been, He is right now, and He will always be A CREATOR
      2. He has always been, He is right now, and He will always be A SAVIOR
      3. He has always been, He is right now, and He will always be A HEALER
      4. He has always been, He is right now, and He will always be A PROVIDER
      5. He has always been, He is right now, and He will always be A LOVING GOD
   5. Turning to YOU
      1. If you want to love like God, your character needs to become more faithful
         1. We see Him, we aspire to Him
         2. This is why it’s important to focus on Jesus. Become what you see. 
      2. Loyalty is a character trait of God
         1. “Chad is loyal to no one”
         2. Who are you loyal to?
            1. Your parents?
            2. Your family?
            3. Your friends?
            4. Your church family?
         3. Proverbs 3:3–4 (NLT) — 3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. 4 Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.
2. Faithfulness in Covenant 
   1. God is a God of Covenant - Holy Oath and Commitment
      1. Deuteronomy 7:9 (NLT) — 9 Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.  
      2. Noahic Covenant
         1. Never destroy earth with a flood
         2. Sign - Rainbow
      3. Abrahamic Covenant
         1. Promise to make a nation from Abraham
         2. Sign - Circumcision
      4. Mosaic Covenant
         1. Promise to make Israel His people
         2. Sign - Sabbath
      5. Priestly Covenant
         1. Promise to always have Aaron's descendants in priesthood
         2. Sign - The priests
      6. David’s Covenant
         1. Promise to always have David’s descendants in rulership
         2. Sign - The kings
      7. New Covenant 
         1. Promise to forgive sins, restore relationship to God, fill with The Holy Spirit
         2. Sign - Communion
   2. So His Faithful love is rooted in His Oath, so you need to know the oath he made to us! 
   3. Turning to YOU
      1. Now let’s talk about your Covenants:
         1. Your marriage - For many it’s disposable, but for God it is a symbol of Christ and the Church.
         2. Your faith
3. Faithfulness in Care
   1. Consider the faithful concern of God for His creation
      1. Everyday, the sun comes up
      2. Every time, the seed brings harvest
      3. Every year, seasons change
      4. Principles of Physics
      5. Circle of life, sitting in my backyard
   2. Turning to YOU
      1. We will return to Matthew 25:
         1. Fed the hungry
         2. Gave drink to the thirsty
         3. Welcomed strangers
         4. Clothed the naked
         5. Cared for the sick
         6. Visited prisoners

Closing:

• Have confidence in the love of God towards you
• Learn to approach him with knowledge of his covenant and faithfulness
• Ask the Lord to help you be more like Him in loyalty, covenant, and compassion