Introduction:
A. For several weeks now I have been trying to communicate something about God’s faithfulness.
1. Hopefully we all are grasping and internalizing some of the things I’m communicating.
2. But we all know how difficult communication can be.
3. For instance, this week I read this little conversation:
a. A visitor to a ranch said, “Say, look at that big bunch of buffaloes."
b. The ranch hand corrected the visitor, “Not ’bunch’ -- ’herd’.
c. The visitor replied: "Heard what?"
d. "Herd of buffaloes." Said the ranch hand.
e. "Sure, I’ve heard of buffaloes. Said the visitor, “There’s a big bunch of ’em right over there."
4. So far, I’ve been saying that God is faithful. He’s faithful to his promises.
5. We see his faithfulness over and over again to his people in the Old Testament, whether Israel as a nation, or to individuals like Naomi and Ruth.
6. His faithfulness is something we can celebrate and take comfort in, right?
B. Psalm 100:5 says, "The Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."
1. Every time we see a rainbow, we can remember that God is faithful - He keeps His promises.
2. Every time we pick up a Bible, we can remember that He said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" [Matthew 24:35].
3. Every time we gather to worship with brothers and sisters in Christ, we can remember that He said, "Where 2 or 3 come together in my name, there am I with them" [Matthew 18:20].
4. Every time we face trials and temptations, we can remember that He said, "I will be with you always, even to the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20)
5. And when we stand on the brink of death, we can remember His promise, "In my Father’s house are many rooms...I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me. For where I am, there you will be also" [John 14:2-4].
6. The songwriter was so right when he penned these words: "Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father...Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me."
C. So, there is no doubt that God is faithful. The question is: What effect will God’s faithfulness have on us?
1. Because God is faithful, he calls us to be faithful just like Him.
2. And because God calls us to be faithful, we are guaranteed that he will enable us to be faithful.
3. But, just what does it mean to be faithful?
I. THE DEFINITION OF FAITHFULNESS
A. To begin with, let’s define "faithfulness" so that we make sure that we’re talking about the same thing.
1. If you were going to define faithfulness, as Paul uses it in the N.T., how would you define it?
2. Well, if you looked in the dictionary, you would find a technical definition that says, "To follow through with a commitment regardless of difficulty." That’s a pretty good definition.
3. Another dictionary definition says: “Firm in belief, reliable; dependable; honest; loyal. Consistent in the performance of duties or service. Steady; not fickle.”
B. One thing I want us to be very clear about is that being faithful does not mean being perfect.
1. Even though aiming for perfection is a Scriptural goal and command (2 Cor. 13:11), it is not what God requires from us to be saved.
2. God knows us, and knows that we will not be perfect.
3. He’s the one who declared that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:21).
4. So, our call to faithfulness is not a call to perfection.
5. Our call to faithfulness is a call to consistency and reliability.
C. Take some folks in Scripture as an example. No one in the Bible, except Jesus, was perfect, yet many were described as being faithful.
1. Let me give you two prime examples.
2. Moses was the deliverer of God’s people from Egypt.
a. He was the one who received the Law from God, including the 10 commandments.
b. He was the one who led God’s people through the desert for 40 years.
c. His imperfections kept him from entering the earthly promised land.
d. Moses was far from perfect, but he was called faithful. (Numbers 12:7)
3. David was chosen as a young boy to be the second king of Israel.
a. He reigned very effectively for 40 years, defeating God’s enemies and expanding the empire.
b. He wrote many Psalms and was called the man after God’s own heart.
c. Yet David was far from perfect. David seemed to struggle as a father, and he committed adultery and then had a man killed to try to cover it up.
d. So, David was far from perfect, but he was called faithful. (1 Kings 3:6)
4. In the NT, both Epaphras and Tyhicus are described as being faithful servants. Although their failings are not chronicled like those of Moses and David, I’m sure they also were not perfect.
D. Listen to some NT verses that contain our call to faithfulness:
1. 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
2. In Romans 12:12, Paul admonishes us to “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
3. Peter declares that “each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)
4. The book of Revelation contains several calls to faithfulness.
5. Revelation 13:10, “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.”
6. Revelation 14:12, “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.”
7. Revelation 2:10, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for 10 days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
8. From these verses we see more clearly that God is calling us to a faithfulness characterized by loyalty and reliability.
9. We must hang on, and be true to our commitment to Christ, even in the face of death.
10. If we do so, then we will receive our reward – the crown of life.
11. Not a royal crown, but the victor’s crown. A laurel wreath given to the winner of a race.
II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF FAITHFULNESS
A. Finally, let’s ask this critical question, "How do we develop faithfulness?"
1. Let’s answer that question with an illustration.
2. Does an apple tree stand out in the middle of an orchard saying, "Now how do I develop apples?"
3. No, an apple tree produces apples because that’s what apple trees do.
4. Galatians 5:22 lists the fruit of the Spirit.
5. The fruit of the Spirit is the product of the Spirit; the outcome of the Spirit; or that which the Spirit produces in us.
6. Guess what shows up in that list? You guessed it. In addition to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control is faithfulness.
7. Therefore, I need to realize that faithfulness is not so much something that I’m striving to develop, but something that I want to allow the Spirit to create in me.
8. When we are Spirit-led Christians, then we produce fruit because it’s the natural thing to do.
9. We don’t have to sit around and think about it and analyze it.
10. But we do have to be careful that our branch is never detached from the vine, and that we are not allowing some disease to destroy our fruitfulness.
B. So, how do we allow the Spirit to develop faithfulness in us? Here are some things to be aware of.
1. First, we need to realize that temptations will come.
a. Just as surely as Jesus was tempted to be unfaithful, we will be tempted to be unfaithful - in our marriage, in our relationship with the Lord, and in the church.
b. That’s what Satan does. He will tempt us to be unfaithful.
c. We need to recognize those temptations and allow God to help us stand up under them.
2. Second, we need to seek the Holy Spirit’s reinforcement by developing regular, positive, spiritual habits.
a. This world we live in is not a Christian world. Our nation is not as much a Christian nation.
b. We’re being pressured on every side to develop negative habits, we are being tempted to be unfaithful in church attendance, to be unfaithful in prayer, and in studying the Word of God.
c. We’ve all felt those temptations. We sense our time being stolen away.
d. We feel ourselves being distracted and drawn away to foolish and meaningless things.
e. But, like Jesus, we need to learn to say, "Get thee behind me, Satan,"
f. We must be determined to serve God faithfully, then people will be able to count on us.
g. Then we will be consistent, and trustworthy, and reliable.
h. If we will develop these habits and walk in the Spirit, then some of this will come more naturally and automatically.
3. Finally, we need to get back up when we fall or are knocked down.
a. Simon Peter is one of my heroes in the scriptures, but not because he always did right.
b. Sometimes he made glaring mistakes, he even denied the Lord three times, and he wept bitterly because of what he had done.
c. But every time he fell down; he got back up again.
d. So, when it came time to choose someone to preach the very first gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost, guess who was chosen?
e. The Holy Spirit said, "Simon Peter, you do it."
f. So, faithfulness doesn’t always mean always doing it right, but it does mean staying at it and trying to get it right.
g. Isn’t that a relief?
Conclusion:
A. I want you to know that I am trying hard to be a faithful elder, and a faithful disciple of Jesus.
1. But it is a daily battle for me, just like it is for you.
2. I am far too inconsistent in my own daily spiritual disciplines.
3. Far too often I fill my time with the enjoyable and unimportant rather than the necessary and difficult things.
4. Far too often I answer temptations call to think more highly of myself than I ought, or to dwell on unholy thoughts and self-centered pursuits.
5. If being faithful meant perfection, then I wouldn’t have a chance.
6. But thanks be to God, his love and grace cover my sinful failures and assure me that he wants to continue to work in me and work through me.
7. And if I allow His Spirit to work within me, then the fruit of faithfulness will be even more real and evident in my life.
8. The more I yield to His guidance, the less fickle, the less vulnerable to discouragement and temptation I will become.
B. Yes we may grow weary, yes we will fall and fail, but faithfulness says, “Even though there is discouragement and disappointment, I will not let go, I will not quit. With God’s help, I will keep on attending and giving and serving, because God has called me to be faithful and he will enable me to do so.”
C. I’m wondering where you are today.
1. Are you going through a painful experience?
2. Do you feel that you’ve been knocked down, or maybe that you’ve fallen?
3. Have you been fickle and irresponsible in spiritual things?
4. Are you tempted to quit?
5. I beg you, don’t quit. Keep pressing on. Hang in there, because God loves you and is faithful.
D. If you’re here this morning, but are not a follower of Jesus, I want you to know that Jesus didn’t quit. He was faithful. He went all the way to the cross and gave His life so that you and I might have the promise of everlasting life.
1. This wonderful offer of life is available to you.
2. This morning you can begin your journey with Him. He will never leave you or forsake you.
3. And when you’re knocked down and you try to get up, you’ll find His strong arm there to help you get back on your feet again.
E. So if you’re heart is being tugged by God and you need to make a decision for salvation or for recommitment, then we encourage you to come forward and make that decision known. Please do not delay any longer.
