OceanSide church of Christ

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FAITHFULNESS

Victor M. Eskew

INTRODUCTION

A.             What are the steps in the gospel plan of salvation?

1.                Hear the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).

2.                Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 8:24).

3.                Repent of sins (Luke 13:3).

4.                Confess the name of Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:9-10).

5.                Be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).

B.              Sometimes after stating these things someone will say:  “You left one out.  One must also be faithful unto death.”

C.              They are not wrong in making this statement.  Revelation 2:10 confirms this point.

…be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

D.             This morning we want to spend some time discussing this component of the Christian life.

I.        GOD DESIRES OUR FAITHFULNESS

A.             Three verses in the New Testament

1.                Revelation 2:10

…be thou faithful unto death…

2.                I Corinthians 4:2

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

3.                In Revelation 17, ten kings are prophesied to make war with the Lamb of God.  Those who are on the Lord’s side are called “faithful” (Rev. 17:14).

These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them:  for he is the Lord of lords and King of kings:  and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

B.              We also know that God desires our faithfulness because He rewards the faithful.

1.                Proverbs 29:20a.

A faithful man shall abound with blessings…

2.                Matthew 25:21, 23.

His lord said unto him, Well done, Thou good and faithful servant:  thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:  enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

II.      WHAT IS FAITHFULNESS?

A.             Literally:  one who is “full” of faith.

B.              Bible words:

1.                OT – emunah (530):

a.         Literally:  firmness.

b.         From a root that means established.

c.         Steadfast and trustworthy.

d.         The psalmist expresses the definition well in Psalm 57:7.

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:  I will sing and give praise.

2.                NT – pistos (4103):

a.         Trustworthy

b.         Thayer sets forth a threefold definition:

1)         Of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties.

                                                2)         One who keeps his plighted faith, worthy of trust.

                                                30        One that can be relied upon.

C.              From these definitions, we learn:

1.                Faithfulness if not merely a state of mind.

a.         Just because I believe in Jesus does not make me faithful.

b.         Just because I think I’m faithful doesn’t mean I am faithful.

2.         Thayer set forth three powerful words in his description of faithfulness:  execution, discharge, and reliance.

                                    a.         Execution of commands.

                                    b.         Discharge of duties.

                                    c.         One who can be relied upon.

                                    d.         Matthew 24:44-45.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, who his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

D.             Faithfulness is not just a “church” term; it is an all-encompassing term.

1.                Most of the time faithfulness is connected to religious duty:  church attendance, Bible study, prayer, visiting, and godly living.

2.                Faithfulness involves my home life.

3.                Faithfulness encompasses my work life and social life.

4.                Faithfulness is displayed in my recreational activities.

5.                Faithfulness is practiced in my periods of rest and aloneness.

6.                Faithfulness is discharged in my dealings with others.

7.               Faithfulness relates to my inner thoughts, my true beliefs, and my motives.

E.              NOTE:  Faithfulness doesn’t involve a portion of my time.  It is about one or two actions.  Faithfulness is a way of life.

1.                Faithfulness allows God to go into every nook and cranny of our lives.

2.                Our whole being is yielded to His will for our lives.

3.                Thoughts, words, and actions are completely in His control.

4.                The closing chapters of books like Galatians, Ephesians, and Colossians make this point very emphatically (See Galatians 5:13-6:10).

III.     IS IT POSSIBLE TO CEASE BEING FAITHFUL

A.             The warning (Heb. 3:12-14).

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.

B.              Notable examples:

1.                The one talent man (Matt. 25:24-30).

2.                Judas (Acts 1:25).

3.                Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).

4.                Hymenaeus and Alexander (I Tim. 1:19-20).

Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

5.                Demas (II Tim. 4:10).

6.                Diotrephes (III John 9-10).

C.              I Corinthians 10:12

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

CONCLUSION

A.             Proverbs 20:6

Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness:  but a faithful man who can find?

B.              To develop and maintain faithfulness, we must acquire three things:

1.                A good heart (Ps. 78:37; Prov. 10:8).

a.         Free from evil.

                                    b.         Free from self-deception.

c.         Free from comparisons with others.

d.         Abiding love for God.

2.                A burning desire for the Word of God.

a.         The Word of God produces faith (Rom. 10:17).

b.         The Word effectually works in us (I Thess. 2:13).

                        3.         A diligent exercise of the Word of God in one’s life (James 1:21, 25).