#97 - Kyle Thompson // God’s Attributes According to Himself: Faithful & Forgiving

Summary

The Daily Blade: Episode #97 – God’s Attributes According to Himself: Faithful & Forgiving

In Episode #97 of The Daily Blade, hosts Pastor Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson delve into the profound attributes of God as revealed in Exodus 34:6-7. Focused on equipping Christians to integrate God’s Word into their daily lives, this episode zeroes in on two pivotal divine characteristics: Faithfulness and Forgiveness. Below is a comprehensive summary capturing the key discussions, insights, and conclusions drawn during the episode.

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1. Introduction to Today’s Study

The episode begins with an invitation to listeners to sharpen their spiritual weapons, referencing the Bible metaphor of the sword of the Spirit as a primary tool in the Christian's armor (00:01). This sets the stage for an in-depth exploration of God’s nature as depicted in scripture.

2. Exploring Exodus 34:6-7

Kyle Thompson introduces the focal scripture for the episode, Exodus 34:6-7, from the New American Standard Bible 1995 edition (00:21). He reads the passage:

"Then the Lord passed by in front of him, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.'"

Kyle emphasizes that within these two verses, God reveals seven distinct attributes of Himself. In prior discussions, the hosts have covered four attributes: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and loving kindness. Today's focus shifts to the next two attributes: Faithfulness and Forgiveness.

3. God’s Faithfulness

Definition and Biblical Foundation

Kyle defines faithfulness as "overflowing in truth," underscoring that God is unwavering in His promises because of His divine nature (02:15). He asserts, "God is going to do what he says he's going to do because he has to, because he's God."

Scriptural Examples of Faithfulness

To illustrate God’s faithfulness, Kyle references several key biblical passages:

• Genesis 21:1-2: "The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. So Sarah conceives and bears Isaac in her old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him." This demonstrates God fulfilling His promise to Abraham and Sarah by providing Isaac.

• Exodus 12:40-42: "Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt." This passage highlights God's faithfulness in delivering Israel from bondage.

• 2 Samuel 7:16 and Luke 1:32-33: These verses trace God’s promise to King David, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Kyle notes, "God made a promise to David, and it is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is in his line, proving that God's covenant is righteous, and he is going to be faithful to his covenant."

Notable Quote:

"God's faithfulness is literally all over the Bible." – Kyle Thompson [03:30]

4. God’s Forgiveness

Definition and Scope of Forgiveness

Kyle transitions to discussing forgiveness, explaining that the original Greek word implies "to carry away." He introduces three terms for sin found in the scripture: iniquity, transgression, and sin (04:10).

• Iniquity: Turning away from the path, getting "off the tracks."
• Transgression: Direct rebellion against God.
• Sin: Missing the divine mark.

Kyle emphasizes, "God is willing to forgive any and all kinds of sin. He can carry it all away."

Application and Personal Reflection

Addressing the challenge of human forgiveness, Kyle references Pastor Mark Hitchcock’s insights and his own co-host Joby Martin’s book, Run Over by the Grace Train. He discusses the commonly held struggle with withholding forgiveness due to personal hurt and betrayal.

Notable Quote:

"Forgiveness is not a feeling. Forgiveness is the willful decision to cancel someone's debt against you because at the cross Jesus canceled our debt." – Kyle Thompson [05:45]

Kyle highlights Jesus’s teaching from Matthew 18:35, reinforcing that withholding forgiveness is tantamount to ignoring the forgiveness God has extended to us:

"My Heavenly Father will also do the same to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." – Matthew 18:35 [04:50]

He further explains that forgiveness does not earn salvation but serves as evidence of having been forgiven by God. Kyle passionately urges listeners to embrace forgiveness as a reflection of their faith, stating:

"Any Christ follower who does not offer forgiveness has taken their eyes off the cross." – Kyle Thompson [06:00]

5. Conclusion and Call to Action

As the episode concludes, Kyle reinforces the significance of embracing God’s attributes of faithfulness and forgiveness. He encourages listeners to make a conscious decision to forgive, aligning their actions with the divine example set by Jesus Christ.

Notable Quote:

"Unforgiveness is keeping from you the abundant life that God has called you into." – Kyle Thompson [06:05]

He wraps up by urging the audience to trust in God's faithful and forgiving nature, ensuring they return for future discussions to complete the exploration of God's attributes.

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Final Thoughts

Episode #97 of The Daily Blade offers a profound exploration of God's faithfulness and forgiveness, drawing from rich biblical narratives and practical applications. Kyle Thompson effectively bridges scripture with everyday Christian living, challenging listeners to embody these divine attributes. Whether grappling with unworthiness or the complexities of human relationships, the episode serves as a compelling reminder of God's unwavering commitment and boundless mercy.

For those seeking to deepen their understanding of God’s character and apply these truths to their lives, this episode is an invaluable resource.

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Join the Conversation

Listeners are encouraged to share the podcast, leave five-star ratings and reviews, and join Pastor Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson in person at the 2025 Men's Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. Secure your seat at http://mensconference.com.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

[B]

All right, guys, this week we're looking at Exodus 34, verses 6 and 7, where God describes his attributes. So let's go ahead and read Exodus 34, verses 6 and 7 in the New American Standard Bible 1995 edition. Then the Lord passed by in front of him. This is Moses. And proclaimed the Lord. The Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness and truth. Who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgressions and sin, yet he will by no means leave the guilty and punish, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations. So, guys, in these two verses, God describes seven distinct attributes of Himself. So far this week, we've discussed these four. God is compassionate, God is gracious, God is slow to anger. And we've also looked at God's loving kindness. Today we're going to focus on the next two. God is faithful and God is forgiving. So the word for faithful here, it basically means overflowing in truth. So essentially, God is going to do what he says he's going to do because he has to, because he's God. And God's faithfulness is literally all over the Bible. So if we go back to Genesis 21, we have God's promise to Abraham being fulfilled. So Genesis 21, verses 1 and 2. The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in the old. In his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Right? So after years of waiting, God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and Sarah and they gave them their son Isaac. And then we also see God delivering Israel from Egypt. Right? So Exodus 12, 40, 42. So this is kind of a summary of this area. But at the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. And it was a night of watching by the Lord. So God's faithfulness is seen in him fulfilling his promise to free isra. And then we look at what God's doing to keep his promise to David. So if we go to Second Samuel, and this also goes into Luke. So I'll read 2nd Samuel, chapter 7, verse 16. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. And then we go to Luke 1, verses 32 and 33. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And his kingdom will have no end. And so God made a promise to David, and it is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is in his line, proving that God's covenant is. Is righteous, and he is going to be faithful to his covenant. And God is certainly faithful, but he is also forgiving. Now, the word here for forgiving means to carry. Okay, so my pastor, Dr. Mark Hitchcock at Faith Bible Church in EDM, Oklahoma, he points out that God uses three words for sin and wants us to know that they're all covered. So that's what we see here in these verses. The first is iniquity. So this is turning away from the path. This is getting off the tracks, right? And then the second is transgression. This is essentially direct rebellion. And then we have sin. And that's to miss the divine mark. And so to point, or I guess the point in using these three words is that God is willing to forgive any and all kinds of sin. He can carry it all away. Okay? But forgiveness for us can be a hard thing to wrap our minds around because for many of us, we are currently in the process of withholding forgiveness from other. Right. So Joby actually talks about this in chapter seven of his latest book, Run over by the Grace Train. So the entire chapter is about forgiveness. And he uses Jesus's words from Matthew 18 to help make his point. So I want to read a quote to you from that actually refers to Matthew 18, verse 35. And so I'll read the verse and I'll read an excerpt from Joby's book. So here's Matthew 18:35. My Heavenly Father will also do the same to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. So let me read the short expert excerpt here from chapter seven of Run over by the Grace Train, verse 35, a very scary verse. And do not tone down Jesus's words. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart. To be clear, Jesus is not saying that if I forgive, then I open myself up to be forgiven by God. This would then mean that by your good work, you can save yourself. You Can't. You cannot earn your salvation. He's saying in the other. He's saying it the other way around. He's not saying that forgiveness earns forgiveness from God. He's saying that our forgiveness is evidence that we have been forgiven by God once. We are. We do. Forgiven people forgive people. It's just the way it works. Here's the point. Forgiveness is not a feeling. Forgiveness is the willful decision to cancel someone's debt against you because at the cross Jesus canceled our debt. Or the redneck way I would say it from Dylan, South Carolina is, if you ain't giving it, maybe you ain't got it. That's what Jesus is saying. Scary verse. How in the world could God look at you and cancel all of your debt and then we look at someone else who sinned against us and not forgive them? It's usually at this point where in your mind, if you're being honest with yourself, you're thinking, yeah, but listen, man, that's easy to say, but you don't know what happened to me. You don't know what he did to me. You don't know what she did to me. You don't know how much money it was. You don't know the number of times they betrayed me, abused me, took advantage of me, over and over and over. You're right. I don't. I get it. I'm not suggesting the sin against you is not a big deal. It's a really big deal. The sin against you is such a big deal that Jesus had to die for it. But here's the truth. Any Christ follower who does not offer forgiveness has taken their eyes off the cross. Anybody who withholds forgiveness has gospel amnesia about the forgiveness they have received. Unforgiveness is keeping from you the abundant life that God has called you into. I mean, guys, I don't know really what else to say there other than amen and amen. And that should be a huge thing for you. Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a decision. So guys, if you want to know the attributes of God, let's take him at his word. God is faithful and God is forgiving. Don't forget that. Make sure you're here tomorrow so we can wrap up the week.

[A]

Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help, equip other men for the fight. Share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.