Being Faithful In An Unfaithful World Series

6. There were likely some in Symrna who would have said when a believer gave up his or her life for Christ, "What a waste." However, our calling is to be committed. At that point we must leave the results of whether we live or die in His hands. We never know how dramatically God may use our faithful commitment to Him.

In his book, When God Whispers Your Name, Max Lucado tells the story of John Egglen, who had never preached a sermon in his life before the Sunday morning when it snowed and the pastor wasn’t able to make it to the church. In fact, he was the only deacon to show up. He was not a preacher, but he was faithful and that meant on that particular Sunday morning he preached. God rewarded his faithfulness, and at the end of his hesitant sermon, one young man invited God into his heart. No one there could appreciate the significance of what had taken place that morning. The young man who accepted Christ that snowy Sunday morning was non other than Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the man who has often been called, the "prince of preachers." God blessed his preaching and when he was still less than 30 years old he became the pastor of London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle. His sermons were so powerful that although the building could hold 5000 people, the crowds who came to hear him were so thick that they would line up outside trying to hear his sermons. That amazing life of faith all started on a cold Sunday morning with the faithfulness of a deacon who had never preached a sermon before that day. Faithfulness means being committed to what God lets us have the chance to do, whether it looks like a big assignment, or a small one. Giving the sermon to a handful of people on a Sunday morning when almost no one shows up doesn’t seem all that significant, but it demanded faithfulness & God blessed John Egglin’s faithfulness

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III. Why Is Faithfulness Such a Challenge?

1. Part of the problem is that we live in a society where faithfulness isn’t in style. People aren’t accustomed to someone being what they should be and living the way they should. Many people aren’t committed to God, to their church, to their friends, or to their family.

2. Let me give you an example that ties in to what I’m talking about. Pastor Melvin Newland shared this insight in a sermon he did on this passage. He said if a husband says, "I really love my wife," & then he has an affair, you might call him a liar, or a cheat, but most of all you would probably call him, what? That’s right, "unfaithful." Because no matter how loudly he proclaims, his love, he has shown himself to be unfaithful in that love. 8

3. The truth is that faithfulness is such a challenge, because we are all deal with the temptation to be unfaithful to God. To not keep our promises to Him. In fact, we all face that challenge with others as well, because although many times we mean well, we don’t always do well. However, each time we are faithful, it helps us move closer to the overall faithfulness God has called us to live. Let me share a passage that at first glance, may seem to have nothing to do with what I’m talking about. However, a second glance will reveal an important insight.