Audio Sermons

GOD’S FAITHFUL PROMISES
Life B-P Church Worship Service, 27th October 2024

Text: Psalm 12:1-8

Introduction: 31 Oct 1517 marks the beginning of the Protestant Reformation where the reformers desired to reform the church which had been corrupted with traditions of men to the fidelity of God’s truth. Today, we must remember the Protestant Reformation and continue the legacy to stand foursquare in the Word of God.

1. The Plea of the Psalmist

1.1 The Plea of the Psalmist: David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, made a plea to God: “Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men” (v.1).

1.2 The Pride of Men: He lived in a world where people spoke with vanity, flatteries, pride, and double-hearted (v.2). The people lived in their own power and questioned the authority of God: “Who is Lord over us?” (v.4). It pictures a society which has forsaken God.

2. The Promise of God’s Word

2.1 The Purity of God’s Word: “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (v.6). While the words of men are filled with pride, the words of the Lord are pure words.
i. “saraph” (Heb.) – refining through the process of burning.
ii. “zaqaq” (Heb.) – refining through the process of distillation
iii. “seven times” – completely done.

2.2 The Promise of God’s Word: God’s promises are infallible – they could not fail. This text (“emrah” – spoken words instead of “dabar” – written words) speaks about God’s promises to preserve His people amidst an ungodly society and not on the preservation of God’s Word.

3. The Preservation of God’s People

3.1 The Preservation of God’s People: “Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ev- er” (v.7).
i. Text: “shamar” (to keep) and “natsar” (to preserve) – both to mean keeping/preserving – can be applied to both the keep- ing/preserving of God’s word / God’s people.
ii. Syntax: When these two words are applied with God as the subject as the one doing the keeping/preserving, the object is never God’s Word – God does not need to preserve His Word.
iii. Context: God’s people were under threat and not God’s words.

3.2 The Past of God’s Faithfulness: The confidence of the psalmist was based on God’s faithfulness in the past in preserving and protecting His people; e.g. the Israelites in Egypt (Exod. 3:7-9) – God saw the affliction of His people, He heard their cries and knew their sorrows, and came down and delivered them from their affliction.

3.3 The Persecution of God’s People: Christianity has always been a religion where its adherents face great persecution for their faith.
i. First Wave: the sporadic persecution by the unbelieving Jews.
ii. Second Wave: the systematic persecution by the Roman government beginning from Nero until Constantine.

3.4 The Prosperity of the Church:
i. Roman Emperors: Constantine and his sons gave liberty to Christians to practice their faith while Charlemagne made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire.
ii. Roman Church: The bishop of the church at Rome (western) exerted its dominance over the whole of Christendom and the church became corrupted in doctrines and practices; putting the people in the bondage of the church.

3.5 The Protestant Reformation: The reformers attempted to reform the church and to bring the people out of bondage of the church to the fidelity of God’s Word. God has faithfully preserved His people and today we are part of the legacy of Reformation.