Read the sermon
Good morning. It’s so good to be together today as we step into the fourth Sunday of Advent. Each week we’ve been highlighting specific aspects of the character of our God—His hope, His peace, His joy—and today we come to one of the greatest gifts of all: His love. Knowing His love is meant to make us feel cherished and connected to His ongoing care.
Advent has a way of slowing us down just long enough to remember that God doesn’t love us in vague or sentimental ways. His love shows up in promises made and promises kept. And as we gather this morning, we’re reminded again that His love keeps every promise—from the garden, to David, to Bethlehem, all the way to the cross and the empty tomb.
So whether you’re walking in today with a full heart or a weary one, you’re in the right place. God’s faithful, covenant-keeping love is the anchor we all need. Let’s prepare our hearts to worship Him together. His love provides hope and stability in every season.
Before we open the Word together, let’s take a moment to quiet our hearts and invite the Lord to meet us. Advent reminds us that God didn’t wait for us to come to Him—He came near in love. So let’s go before Him now in that same confidence.
Father, we come to You this morning grateful for Your steadfast love. In a world full of broken promises and fading commitments, You remain faithful. Your love is not fragile or uncertain—it is the foundation that holds us fast.
As we gather on this fourth Sunday of Advent, we remember that every promise You made finds its yes in Jesus. And we ask that You would help us see Your love more clearly today—love that pursues us, love that carries us, love that does not fail.
Open our hearts to Your Word. Let Your Spirit soften what’s hardened, strengthen what’s weak, and comfort what’s weary. Draw us close to the King who came in love and who reigns in love forever.
We ask all of this in the name of Jesus, our promised King. Amen.
Advent always brings us back to the story behind the story—the bigger picture of how God has been moving through history long before that night in Bethlehem. And one of the most honest parts of Advent is this: God’s people spent a lot of time waiting. They waited through silence, disappointment, and seasons when God’s promises felt like they were hanging by a thread.
Psalm 89 was written in one of those seasons. Israel looked around and saw weakness, not strength… decline, not glory… and a royal line that seemed anything but eternal. From their perspective, the promise to David looked broken. From God’s perspective, it was right on schedule.
That’s why the psalmist begins not with what he sees, but with what he knows:
“I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD forever.”
He anchors himself in God’s covenant love—the kind of love that doesn’t shift with circumstances or fade when things get dark.
And that’s the heartbeat of Advent. We don’t celebrate because everything in our lives makes sense. We celebrate because God’s love is the kind of love that follows through. It’s the kind of love that keeps speaking when everything else goes quiet. It’s the kind of love that brings a promised King even when the throne looks empty.
His love keeps every promise.
That’s the banner flying over Psalm 89, and it’s the truth that leads us straight to Jesus—the Son of David whose kingdom never ends.
Let’s walk through this psalm and see how God’s covenant love steadies us, strengthens us, and points us to the King who came in love and reigns in love forever.
God’s Steadfast Love Declared
Our psalmist begins by highlighting the unchanging character of God, anchoring himself in what he knows about the Lord before addressing Israel's struggles. This focus on God's nature helps keep us engaged and reminds us where our stability lies.
These opening verses aren't quiet or hesitant—they're bold. The psalmist says,
I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
Not whisper. Not question. Sing. He highlights the Hebrew term translated here as “steadfast love” that signifies covenant love, loyal love, and never-quitting love-deepening our understanding of God's commitment.
This is the kind of love that doesn't get tired. It doesn't back out. It loves because God has chosen to love, inspiring confidence in His unchanging commitment.
And then he pairs it with God's faithfulness-God doing exactly what He said He would do. Israel's confidence wasn't rooted in kings or the nation's stability but in the unchanging nature of God's love and faithfulness, which offers us hope in every circumstance.
Because at the end of the day, His love keeps every promise.
Verse 2 gives us the picture:
For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
The heavens don't panic. They don't wobble. They don't get thrown off by the latest crisis. They are fixed, anchored, set in place by the God who spoke them into being.
The psalmist wants us to see God's love the same way—not a feeling that fluctuates, but a foundation that never moves. God doesn’t love us in response to our behavior; He loves us because His character is unchanging.
And that's the heartbeat of Advent:
God's love is not sentimental; it is covenantal.
It acts. It commits. It follows through.
Love moved God to make a covenant with David.
Love moved God to sustain that covenant through generations.
Love moved God to keep that promise in Bethlehem.
Love moved God to bring Jesus, the true Son of David, into the world.
And through it all, the same truth echoes:
His love keeps every promise.
God’s Steadfast Love Promised
As the psalmist continues, he reminds Israel of something God Himself declared:
You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant:
This wasn't David's idea. It wasn't Israel negotiating a deal with God. It was the Lord taking the initiative—God stepping toward His people in love. He binds Himself to David and to David's line, not because they were perfect, but because His love compelled Him to make a promise that would stretch far beyond David's lifetime. This shows God's love is the foundation that can bring reassurance and confidence to believers, making them feel secure in His unwavering commitment.
In verse four we read:
‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ ”
In these two verses, we see the heart of that covenant. God promises a king He has personally chosen and set apart. He promises an enduring throne—"I will establish your offspring forever." And He promises a kingdom without an expiration date—He will "build your throne for all generations." These are not small commitments. They are massive, sweeping, history-shaping promises spoken by a God who never overextends Himself, pointing us to the eternal fulfillment in Christ during Advent.
And behind every part of this covenant stands the love of God. Israel didn't earn this. David didn't negotiate this. This covenant reveals who God is. He is a God who makes promises because His love delights in blessing His people. He is a God who commits Himself even when His people cannot commit themselves to Him. It is through this love that we see the promise of a King who would reign forever, fulfilled in Jesus Christ during Advent.
This is where Advent speaks loudly. Love doesn't just feel—love commits. Love doesn't just speak—love follows through. When God made this covenant with David, He wasn't expressing a hopeful wish or a sentimental desire. He was revealing His unchanging nature. And because His nature does not shift, His love keeps every promise.
Advent celebrates that the God who made this promise is the God who fulfilled it. The baby in Bethlehem is the living proof that God's covenant love never collapses under the weight of time, failure, or human weakness. Jesus is the promised King, the eternal Son of David, the One whose throne truly lasts forever.
God’s Steadfast Love Confirmed
So far the psalmist has reminded us that God declared His steadfast love and then promised to anchor that love in a covenant with David. But the psalmist doesn’t stop with declarations or promises—he moves on to show how God acted in history to confirm those promises. God didn’t just speak the covenant; He upheld it. What we see in the next section is God’s love in motion.
Verses 19-29 take us behind the scenes into the very heart of how God actively chose and strengthened His king. The psalmist recalls the moment God stepped in and strengthened David, saying that God “bestowed help,” “exalted,” and “anointed” him. Not one of those actions came from human effort or political maneuvering. They were all God-driven. God is the one who lifts David, equips him, and sets him apart for leadership. Recognizing God’s active role can deepen our trust in His ongoing involvement in our lives.
The psalm then paints a fuller picture of this king. David was chosen and exalted—not by popular vote, but by the sovereign will of God. God’s strength empowered him, because no king can sustain the weight of a kingdom without divine help. He was protected from his enemies, a truth David experienced again and again as God shielded him from Saul, from surrounding nations, and even from his own failures. And he was expanded in influence, with God promising to stretch his rule “from the sea to the rivers,” lifting him high among the kings of the earth. This highlights God's sovereign control over all circumstances, inspiring us to trust His divine plan for our lives.
What we’re seeing here is not a man climbing the ladder of success. It is a king upheld, strengthened, and preserved by God's steadfast love. The covenant is not dependent on David’s perfection; it is grounded in God’s faithful character. God’s strengthening, choosing, protecting, and enabling—all of it affirms one clear truth: His love faithfully keeps every promise, inspiring gratitude and confidence in His faithfulness.
These verses remind us that God does not simply make promises; He actively works to fulfill them. He equips the one He calls. He sustains the one He lifts. He guards the one He anoints. The covenant is more than words—it is God’s loving, faithful intervention in the life of His chosen king.
And as we’ll see when we connect this to Christ, everything God did for David in shadow, He fulfills perfectly and eternally in Jesus. This connection should fill us with hope, knowing God's promises extend beyond David to the ultimate fulfillment in Christ, reaffirming His unwavering faithfulness for us all.
The Tension of the Psalm
At this point in the psalm, everything feels strong and steady. God has declared His love, promised His covenant, and confirmed His commitment to His king. But if you know the story of Israel, you know that life didn’t look anything like these promises for very long. And the psalmist is honest about that. Psalm 89 refuses to pretend that God’s people always lived in the glow of fulfilled promises. Instead, it walks straight into the tension between what God said and what they actually saw.
Even though our text stops at verse 29, the rest of the psalm gives us the emotional backdrop that makes Advent come alive. Because later in Psalm 89, it doesn’t look like the covenant is flourishing—it seems like it has collapsed. The kingdom lies in ruins. The Davidic throne, which God promised would endure forever, sits empty. The royal line appears cut off, the nation scattered, and the future uncertain. From every angle, it seems the promise has failed.
The psalmist feels that tension deeply. He pours out confusion. He wrestles with the gap between God’s word and Israel’s reality. But even in his confusion, he refuses to let go of the character of God. He clings to the very things he proclaimed at the beginning—God’s steadfast love and His unwavering faithfulness, including His covenant promises. When circumstances contradicted the promise, he leaned even harder on the nature of the One who made it. Because at the end of the day, His love keeps every promise, even when we can’t see how.
This tension is precisely what forms the waiting of Advent. Israel wasn’t waiting for any king—they were waiting for the King who could not fail. A Son of David who would never fall from His throne. A ruler whose kingdom wouldn’t collapse under the weight of human sin or political chaos. They were waiting for the One who could fulfill every word God spoke, the One whose reign would truly last forever.
That’s why Advent resonates so profoundly with our own lives. We live in a world where things don’t always look like God’s promises, and doubts may arise about His faithfulness. We face seasons where the throne looks empty, where hope feels thin, where the future seems uncertain. But Psalm 89 reminds us that God’s people have been here before. And that the answer to this tension is not found in trying harder or pretending everything is fine. The answer is a King—God’s promised King—who steps into the brokenness, fulfills the covenant, and proves once and for all that His love keeps every promise.
Connection to Christ
The tension of Psalm 89 leaves us looking for someone who can carry the full weight of God’s promise—someone who won’t crumble, won’t wander, won’t fail. Israel felt that longing for generations. Advent, a season of waiting and hope, picks up that longing and delivers the answer. The promise made to David was never meant to end with David. It was pointing forward to a greater King, a better King, the true Son who would reign forever.
This is precisely where the New Testament shines brightest. When the angel speaks to Mary in Luke 1, he reaches back to Psalm 89 and the covenant with David, saying, “He will reign forever… and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Those are not new words—they are ancient promises finally coming to life in Jesus.
Jesus is the fulfillment of everything Psalm 89 anticipated. Where David fell short, Jesus reigns perfectly. Where Israel looked at an empty throne and wondered if God’s promise had failed, Jesus now sits enthroned forever. Where the long line of kings faltered under their own humanity, Jesus stands as the eternal King whose rule is unshakable. Every weakness in David’s line is healed in Christ. Every gap is filled. Every promise is made whole.
Jesus doesn’t just fulfill the covenant—He embodies it. He is the steadfast love of God wrapped in flesh and laid in a manger. During Advent, we celebrate that the God who promised a King has kept that promise most unexpectedly and beautifully. The baby born in Bethlehem isn’t simply a sign of hope; He is the King promised from ages past. He is the living proof that His love keeps every promise.
And the fullness of that love is displayed at the cross. God’s love is not cheap. It is not sentimental. It is costly—so costly that the promised King would lay down His life for a people who had broken the covenant a thousand times over. God’s love is faithful even when His people are faithless. His sacrifice invites us to feel deep gratitude and awe for His unwavering love that redeems us eternally.
The manger shows us the nearness of God’s love.
The cross shows us the depth of God’s love.
The empty tomb shows us the victory of God’s love.
And the throne shows us the permanence of God’s love.
In Jesus Christ, the covenant is kept, the promise fulfilled, and the love of God made visible for the world to see. He is the King Israel longed for, the King we worship, and the King whose reign will never end.
HOW GOD’S COVENANT LOVE STEADIES US
When we trace Psalm 89 through its declarations, promises, tension, and fulfillment in Jesus, it leaves us with a very practical question: What does this mean for us right now? Advent isn't just about remembering a promise God kept in the past—it's about learning to live inside that same covenant love today. The love that brought the King into the world is the same love that steadies us, shapes us, and sends us out. How can we actively embrace and reflect this love in our daily actions and interactions?
First, God's covenant love steadies us because His love is dependable when life feels unstable. Israel stood in that gap between promise and fulfillment, and so do we. We walk through seasons when our circumstances don't look anything like God's promises. Things feel shaky. The future seems uncertain. But just like the psalmist, we anchor ourselves in the unchanging nature of God's love, which is steady and reliable. His love isn't fragile, and it isn't seasonal. It's steady, and it holds us when everything else trembles. His love keeps every promise, even when our lives don't seem to line up with it yet.
Second, God's covenant love anchors our identity. You don't work your way into this love. You don't qualify for it. You don't hold onto it by your performance. You receive it in Christ, the true Son of David who keeps the covenant on your behalf. This means your worth isn't tied to how well you've done this week or how strong your faith feels this morning. It's rooted in the unchanging love of the King who reigns forever. His love names you. His love claims you. His love holds you.
Third, God's covenant love strengthens our obedience. Because God keeps His promises, we can trust Him with ours. We don't obey out of fear that God might change His mind; we obey because His heart is fixed toward us in Christ. When you know that the King on the throne is for you, not against you, obedience becomes an act of confidence, not anxiety. His love empowers us to walk faithfully, even when it's costly. This assurance should fill you with courage to follow Him wholeheartedly.
Fourth, God's covenant love invites us into worship. Advent isn't about adding to the busyness of an already crowded season; it's about beholding the faithful love of a God who keeps His word. When you step back and see the sweep of God's promises—from David's throne to Mary's womb—your heart can't help but rise in worship. Love that steady and love that faithful draws us to bow, to sing, to celebrate. Consider how this love can inspire acts of kindness, generosity, and service during this season, reflecting God's steadfast love to others.
Finally, God's covenant love pushes us outward. The love we receive becomes the love we reflect. Covenant love shapes the way we treat our spouses, shepherd our children, and serve our church family. God's promise-keeping love becomes the pattern for how we love others—with patience, with grace, with steadfastness, even when it's hard.
In all of this, the message of Advent stands firm: His love keeps every promise, and that love holds us, forms us, and sends us into the world as people marked by the King.
So What?
So what? What does all of this mean for me as I walk out of here today?
It means, first, that you can trust God even when your life doesn’t look like His promises yet. Psalm 89 allows us to feel the tension between what God has said and what we see before us. But it also shows us where to stand in that tension—on the unshakable character of God. When everything is shifting, when the questions are loud, and the answers are quiet, you can cling to the truth that His love keeps every promise.
It also means you don’t have to earn God’s love. His covenant with David wasn’t built on human performance, and neither is His covenant with you. Christ has secured it. You are loved because God chooses to love you, not because you’ve done everything right. That truth can bring you peace and hope. It frees you from fear, from striving, from the pressure to hold your life together on your own.
It means that Jesus is God’s final and most significant proof that His love never fails. If God kept His promise in Christ—across centuries of waiting, through kingdoms rising and falling, despite human failure and rebellion—then you can trust Him to keep every promise He has spoken over your life in Christ. He has already kept the hardest one.
And it means that this Advent season is an invitation. An invitation to rest confidently in covenant love. An invitation to realign your heart with the King whose throne remains steady. An invitation to remember that the God who kept His promise in Bethlehem will keep every promise yet to be fulfilled.
So what does all of this mean? It means that in every season, every disappointment, every joy, every fear, every unanswered prayer, every hour of waiting—you have a God whose love is dependable, unwavering, and constant. A God whose love brings a King. A God whose love holds you fast.
Because His love keeps every promise. Every single one.
Love: The Promise of the King
Psalm 89 is a psalm of both confidence and longing. It starts with a song about God’s steadfast love and ends with a cry for God to remember His promise. And that’s where most of us live—somewhere between singing and waiting, somewhere between the promises of God and the fullness of their fulfillment.
But Advent steps into that space with good news. The God who made a covenant with David is the God who kept it in Jesus Christ. The throne that once looked empty is now occupied forever. The King they longed for is the King who came. And the King who came is the King who still reigns.
That means His love is not a distant idea—it’s a present reality. It’s the anchor for your identity, the strength for your obedience, the peace for your waiting, and the hope for your future. When life feels unstable, when prayers feel unanswered, when the path feels uncertain, you can rest in this unshakable truth: His love keeps every promise.
The baby in the manger is proof. The cross is proof. The empty tomb is proof. The throne of heaven is proof.
So as we draw near to Christmas, hold tight to the God whose love does not quit. Celebrate the King who came for you. Trust the King who reigns over you. And look forward to the King who is coming again to fulfill every promise He has ever made.
His love kept the promise to David. His love brought Christ into the world. And His love will carry you all the way home.
Amen.
Let us pray.
Father, we thank You for Your steadfast love—a love that is stronger than our failures, deeper than our doubts, and more faithful than anything we could ever offer You in return. As we stand on the edge of Christmas week, we’re reminded again that You are a God who keeps His word. You made a promise to David, and You fulfilled it in Jesus. You have made promises to us through Christ, and You will keep every single one.
So, Lord, let the truth we’ve heard today settle deep into our hearts. Steady the one who feels shaken. Comfort the one who feels weary. Strengthen the one who feels weak. And awaken all of us to the beauty of Your covenant love. Help us to trust You in the waiting, to rest in Your character, and to rejoice in the King who came for us.
Thank You for Jesus—the Son of David, the eternal King, the embodiment of Your unfailing love. May His reign shape our lives, our families, and our church. And may His love move us to worship and obedience as we walk into this week.
We ask all of this in His powerful and precious name. Amen.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Go today in the confidence of a God whose covenant never breaks, whose promises never fail, and whose love always endures. Be blessed to be a blessing.