Faithful
Faithful means keeping faith, staying loyal. It describes God in His relationship to
human believers. the faithfulness of God and His word is a content theme in the
Bible. Isaiah 11:5 tells us that the Messiah would be clothed with faithfulness and
Revelations 19:11 describes Him as the Faithful One. God is faithful to His children
because He is first of all faithful to Himself (II Timothy 2:13) “if we believe not, yet He
abides faithful; He cannot deny Himself”. “truth” is used as a synonym for
“faithfulness”. Since God is always true, He can logically be trusted (Psalms 71:22;
Isaiah 61:8). The word “faithfulness” is frequently used in the Old Testament to
describe the way God always keeps His promises.
God commands us to be faithful (I Corinthians 4:1-2) “let a man so account of us, as
of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is
required in stewards, that a man be found faithful”. Jesus tells a parable (Matthew 25:
14-30) in verses 14-23 He describes the kingdom of heaven as of a man who
traveled into a far country, and called his servants, and delivered to them his goods.
To one he gave five talents, to another two and to another one, to each according to
his ability and then he took his journey. The one which received five talents, went
and traded and gained another five, the one which received two talents, went and
traded and gained another two, but the one which received one talent was afraid and
hid his talent. And after a long time, the lord of those servants came back and
settled with them. He says to the one which received five and traded and gained
another five, and the one which received two and gained another two; “well done, you
good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you
ruler over many things, enter you into the joy of your lord”.
But in verses 24-30 he says to the one which hid his talent, “you wicked and slothful
servant”, and takes the talent from him, and says “for to every one that has shall be
given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that has not shall be taken away
even that which he has. And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Don’t be like that lazy servant.
Every time I read through that parable, my desire is to hear “well done you god and
faithful servant”. As I studied through the Bible to see examples of faithful people;
Abraham’s life is an example; he relied upon God’s word and acted upon it. He left
home and country, settled in a strange land, and even offered up his son Isaac as
God commanded. It is no surprise, therefore, that Abraham is described in the New
Testament as one who behavior should be imitated by Christians (Galatians 3:6-9),
“even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Know you therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of
Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through
faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying; in you shall all nations be
blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham”, also in
Hebrews 11:8-10).
Daniel was found faithful (Daniel 6:3-4) says “then this Daniel was preferred above
the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king
thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to
find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find none
occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault
found in him”. The presidents and princes then tricked the king to make a decree
that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of you, O
king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Daniel remained faithful, and like was his
custom, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward
Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave
thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. He was cast into the den of lions, but
because he was faithful, God delivered him, and the king cast the presidents and
princes and their families into the den and they perished (verses 5-24).
Moses was faithful, God says in Number 12:6-8 “hear now My words; if there be a
prophet among you, I the Lord Yahweh will make Myself known to him, in a vision,
and will speak to him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all My
house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark
speeches, and the similitude of Lord Yahweh shall he behold, wherefore them were
you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses”.
Paul was faithful, he said “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course” and
in (I Timothy 1:12-13) he says “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me,
for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. Who was before a
blasphemer and a persecutor, and injurious, but I obtained mercy, because I did it
ignorantly in unbelief”.
Faithfulness, then, is not a one-time act, rather, it is an attitude that should
characterize the entire life of those, who say they have faith in God. We being made
in God’s image and likeness, we see that God is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9). In spite
of Israel’s faithless ness, God showed Himself to be reliable. His faithfulness is great
(Lamentations 3:22-23) “it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed,
because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your
faithfulness”. He is loyal to the covenant He made with the Israelites throughout the
Old Testament, and He will always show His steadfast love to His people (Psalms
136).
God’s faithfulness should be so deeply reflected in the lives of His people, that they
can be called “the faithful” in Revelations 17:14 the Bible says “these shall make war
with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is Lord of lords, and King
of kings; and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful”; and in
(Psalms 31:23) the Bible says “O love the Lord Yahweh, all you His saints, for the
Lord Yahweh preserves the faithful, and plentifully rewards the proud doer”.
Faithfulness in the Bible is seen in the work of Jesus Christ, who showed Himself
faithful to His Father (Hebrews 3:2) and in His witness (Revelation 1:5). God calls
men and women to be faithful by following Christ, relying on Him for all things
(Romans 1:17) “for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith;
as it is written. The just shall live by faith”. In the Old Testament and New
Testament, “faith” includes “faithfulness”, that is, faith is more than just a momentary
agreement with the truth of God. It is commitment to that truth, and is shown through
obedience.
Faithfulness describes someone believed to be “trustworthy”, the Bible says “a
faithful witness does not lie”. Being trusted, is to have a steadfast character. It being
dependent-able, one that can be counted on to be there when he says he will be
there.
The good news is that faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit and as we are led by the
Spirit, the fruit will spill over into our lives (Galatians 5:22-26) “but the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness.
Meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have
crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk,
in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying
one another”.
Let’s look at the rewards of being faithful (Proverbs 28:20) says “a faithful man shall
abound with blessings, but he that makes haste to be rich shall not be innocent”. In
(Psalms 31:23) it says “God preserves the faithful”. I think the greatest reward is to
hear Him say “well done good and faithful servant”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: September 12, 2008
Faithful means keeping faith, staying loyal. It describes God in His relationship to
human believers. the faithfulness of God and His word is a content theme in the
Bible. Isaiah 11:5 tells us that the Messiah would be clothed with faithfulness and
Revelations 19:11 describes Him as the Faithful One. God is faithful to His children
because He is first of all faithful to Himself (II Timothy 2:13) “if we believe not, yet He
abides faithful; He cannot deny Himself”. “truth” is used as a synonym for
“faithfulness”. Since God is always true, He can logically be trusted (Psalms 71:22;
Isaiah 61:8). The word “faithfulness” is frequently used in the Old Testament to
describe the way God always keeps His promises.
God commands us to be faithful (I Corinthians 4:1-2) “let a man so account of us, as
of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is
required in stewards, that a man be found faithful”. Jesus tells a parable (Matthew 25:
14-30) in verses 14-23 He describes the kingdom of heaven as of a man who
traveled into a far country, and called his servants, and delivered to them his goods.
To one he gave five talents, to another two and to another one, to each according to
his ability and then he took his journey. The one which received five talents, went
and traded and gained another five, the one which received two talents, went and
traded and gained another two, but the one which received one talent was afraid and
hid his talent. And after a long time, the lord of those servants came back and
settled with them. He says to the one which received five and traded and gained
another five, and the one which received two and gained another two; “well done, you
good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you
ruler over many things, enter you into the joy of your lord”.
But in verses 24-30 he says to the one which hid his talent, “you wicked and slothful
servant”, and takes the talent from him, and says “for to every one that has shall be
given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that has not shall be taken away
even that which he has. And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Don’t be like that lazy servant.
Every time I read through that parable, my desire is to hear “well done you god and
faithful servant”. As I studied through the Bible to see examples of faithful people;
Abraham’s life is an example; he relied upon God’s word and acted upon it. He left
home and country, settled in a strange land, and even offered up his son Isaac as
God commanded. It is no surprise, therefore, that Abraham is described in the New
Testament as one who behavior should be imitated by Christians (Galatians 3:6-9),
“even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Know you therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of
Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through
faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying; in you shall all nations be
blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham”, also in
Hebrews 11:8-10).
Daniel was found faithful (Daniel 6:3-4) says “then this Daniel was preferred above
the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king
thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to
find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find none
occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault
found in him”. The presidents and princes then tricked the king to make a decree
that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of you, O
king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Daniel remained faithful, and like was his
custom, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward
Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave
thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. He was cast into the den of lions, but
because he was faithful, God delivered him, and the king cast the presidents and
princes and their families into the den and they perished (verses 5-24).
Moses was faithful, God says in Number 12:6-8 “hear now My words; if there be a
prophet among you, I the Lord Yahweh will make Myself known to him, in a vision,
and will speak to him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all My
house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark
speeches, and the similitude of Lord Yahweh shall he behold, wherefore them were
you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses”.
Paul was faithful, he said “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course” and
in (I Timothy 1:12-13) he says “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me,
for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. Who was before a
blasphemer and a persecutor, and injurious, but I obtained mercy, because I did it
ignorantly in unbelief”.
Faithfulness, then, is not a one-time act, rather, it is an attitude that should
characterize the entire life of those, who say they have faith in God. We being made
in God’s image and likeness, we see that God is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9). In spite
of Israel’s faithless ness, God showed Himself to be reliable. His faithfulness is great
(Lamentations 3:22-23) “it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed,
because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your
faithfulness”. He is loyal to the covenant He made with the Israelites throughout the
Old Testament, and He will always show His steadfast love to His people (Psalms
136).
God’s faithfulness should be so deeply reflected in the lives of His people, that they
can be called “the faithful” in Revelations 17:14 the Bible says “these shall make war
with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is Lord of lords, and King
of kings; and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful”; and in
(Psalms 31:23) the Bible says “O love the Lord Yahweh, all you His saints, for the
Lord Yahweh preserves the faithful, and plentifully rewards the proud doer”.
Faithfulness in the Bible is seen in the work of Jesus Christ, who showed Himself
faithful to His Father (Hebrews 3:2) and in His witness (Revelation 1:5). God calls
men and women to be faithful by following Christ, relying on Him for all things
(Romans 1:17) “for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith;
as it is written. The just shall live by faith”. In the Old Testament and New
Testament, “faith” includes “faithfulness”, that is, faith is more than just a momentary
agreement with the truth of God. It is commitment to that truth, and is shown through
obedience.
Faithfulness describes someone believed to be “trustworthy”, the Bible says “a
faithful witness does not lie”. Being trusted, is to have a steadfast character. It being
dependent-able, one that can be counted on to be there when he says he will be
there.
The good news is that faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit and as we are led by the
Spirit, the fruit will spill over into our lives (Galatians 5:22-26) “but the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness.
Meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have
crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk,
in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying
one another”.
Let’s look at the rewards of being faithful (Proverbs 28:20) says “a faithful man shall
abound with blessings, but he that makes haste to be rich shall not be innocent”. In
(Psalms 31:23) it says “God preserves the faithful”. I think the greatest reward is to
hear Him say “well done good and faithful servant”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: September 12, 2008
