What does it mean to be faithful?
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You know there are several terms that are often thrown around in church but they may rarely be defined.
This morning we zeroed in on the parable of the talents and the need for us to be faithful to God with what we have been given.
And I don’t think that I gave you any revolutionary information this morning.
You probably have all heard a sermon related to faithfulness with what God has given us.
But I want to take some time tonight and discuss what does it mean to be faithful?
We know that we are supposed to be faithful , but what does that look like?
I hope that we can look at a few scriptures tonight in order to answer that question.
First, We understand that faithfulness among others is listed among the fruit of the spirit.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Theologically, we know these virtues are not built into us.
These are virtues that are produced by the Spirit of God, and apart from His work in us, we ought not to expect there to be any lasting fruit.
When we went through the fruit of the spirit. I mentioned that, we should not expect the fruit of the Spirit without the Spirit of the fruit.
On the other hand, if the Spirit of the fruit is present, then we ought to EXPECT the fruit of the Spirit.
And faithfulness is apart of that.
But we see so much unfaithfulness around don’t we?
Even from people who claim to be Christians.
And I think this happens for a number of reasons.
One, Our flesh wages war against our ability to bear these virtues.
To be faithful is to go against the grain of our own desires.
Our own desire is to do what we want and to be faithful to my desires.
This is why we are constantly reminded in the New Testament that to be a Christian will mean that we must put to death the desires and passions of our flesh.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
Paul will say elsewhere-
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
So to bear this fruit, we are to be active in fighting against our own flesh.
Paul tells Timothy in 1 Tim 4:7
7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
This is our responsibility, to walk by Spirit, to put to death the deeds of the flesh and to discipline ourselves so that these things are consistently marking our lives.
Faithfulness requires discipline, and it requires disciplining ourselves.
Its easy to be unfaithful, and our flesh knows that, so we tend to take the easy way out.
It’s easy to start a workout plan, or a weight loss plan, or even a financial plan, but it is hard to remain faithful to it.
We are a little over half way through the year now— Most of us start the year with a fitness plan. We get the gym membership, the new gear, and tell ourselves ‘this is the year.’ But by mid-February, we’re thinking, probably going to be next year…
How many of you have kept your New Year’s Resolutions?
In general, we struggle to be faithful.
And its the same three enemies with everything else… Our own flesh, the world, and the enemy- the devil.
Our flesh by nature is unfaithful, because our flesh by nature gives up when things get difficult.
But faithfulness, requires putting to death my desires.
Its me that keeps me from being faithful.
We fight our own flesh in this-
But we also live in a world that is filled with unfaithfulness.
Its all around us everyday.
We have grown so accustomed to being lied to- We don’t trust anything anymore but our own intuitions and that is dangerous.
It’s no longer good enough to merely shake hands and tell a man that you will do something.
It’s now required to have a contract. But even then, the contract could be broken.
We live in an unfaithful world.
Alistair Begg-
“We live in a culture that is comfortable with unkept promises. Our society is quite happy with broken vows. We live in a culture that if it doesn’t suit to stay faithful, then just don’t stay faithful. If it doesn’t suit to stay faithful to your promises, then just break your promises. If it doesn’t work to tell the truth, then tell lies. That is the environment in which we live.”
We are surrounded on every side with unfaithfulness.
Whether we want to admit it or not, our culture, our country, and yes even our area is tainted by the stain of unfaithfulness.
But in that dark world of unfaithfulness, Christians, Christ followers, have been commanded to shine as lights, which means we must not be comfortable, satisfied, or happy with the least broken promise.
We should be the most faithful people on the planet.
The Bible literally says the Spirit is producing this in us.
The world is not though, and we must fight against the worldly influences that would call us away from God’s standard and His holiness into its cesspool of sin.
We fight against ourselves, and we fight against the outward influence of the world.
But then we also have an enemy that consistently strikes at our faithfulness.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
He is clever. He is good at what he does, and he dangles the shiny objects in front of us that he knows would test our faithfulness.
Satan has been successful in destroying marriages, by driving a wedge right in the heart of the couple’s bond and vows.
Satan has been successful in luring husbands and wives to break their sacred vows for a brief moment of pleasure with another man or woman.
Not only that-
Satan has been successful destroying the credibility of fathers and mothers with their children by providing ample opportunities for worldly pursuits, rather than keeping the promise they made to their son or daughter to be there for the game, for the recital, or just to be home in time to tell them goodnight.
He has sold the lie to parents- that Someone else can teach my children to follow Christ.
He has been successful in destroying churches and rendering them ineffective by selling its members the lie, that someone else can do that.
Someone else can teach the children. Someone else can do the nursery. Someone else can help with Bible School. Someone else can be the treasurer.
Someone else can serve the church as a deacon. Someone else can be the Sunday School Teacher. Someone else can be the pastor. Someone else can lead the singing.
Someone else will be there for Wednesday Night Service. Someone else will be there for Sunday Night Service. Someone else will give.
Someone else. Someone else can be faithful, while I pursue unfaithfulness elsewhere.
Make no mistake, Satan will provide you with opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to succeed in this world, so long as you are unfaithful to Christ and His church.
And I just want you to think about this for a moment- Who do you think is pleased when that happens? Its most certainly not God.
And this is where it seems that the enemy has been successful in our lives in making us unfaithful.
We have an enemy, and he is good at what he does.
But despite our flesh that has a tendency to step back and shrink back into unfaithfulness, despite living in a world that glorifies unfaithfulness, and despite having an enemy that is good at giving us opportunities to be unfaithful, we are called to be faithful.
Faithful to God and His church.
Faithful to our spouse and families.
Faithful to our word.
Faithful to our promises.
And if we are genuine believer, the Spirit of God is producing this in our life as a part of the Spiritual fruit.
You know, in preparation for tonight, what I found is that its really easy to go through the Bible and find where God’s people have been unfaithful.
Whats more difficult is finding those who were faithful.
One example that I think helps us grapple with what it means to be faithful is found in Paul’s second letter to Timothy.
Paul is writing his last letter to his young child in the faith.
And he gives him some final words to encourage Timothy to be faithful.
Listen to what Paul says-
He tells Timothy that there is coming a day, where unfaithfulness will abound, but He encourages Timothy to be faithful.
Listen to what he says-
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
In other words, there is a time coming Timothy, where faithfulness will be in short supply.
There is a time coming where being faithful will be an anomaly.
Timothy, it may be good now, but there’s coming a time where people will be unfaithful.
People will no longer rejoice in the truth. Rather they will find someone to tell them what they want to hear.
But listen to what Paul encourages Timothy to do.
5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
In other words, Timothy, regardless of what everyone else is doing, you be faithful. You do what you know God has called you to do.
You fulfill your ministry.
True ministry is accomplished by being faithful over the long haul.
Even despite what the world calls success, faithfulness means doing your best with what God has given you.
Using your life, your talents, your efforts, your energies, for the cause of Christ and His church.
Paul did this-
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
Paul acknowledges here that his time is short. His life is coming to an end.
And let’s not miss the importance of acknowledging this as well.
We only have but so much time to be faithful.
For some, its shorter, for some, it may be longer.
But the time of our departure is coming.
At the end of our lives, will we have been faithful?
Let me assure you, I don’t think that at the end of our lives, we will have wished to have been less faithful. If anything, we will all have desired to be more faithful.
But knowing that our time is coming should produce in us an urgency to be faithful NOW.
But he goes on-
Listen to what Paul says about His own faithfulness.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
What a statement.
But don’t miss what Paul says there.
Its a fight to be faithful.
It is a race and course that we must complete.
It is a faith that we must keep.
In other words, there will be opposition that we must fight.
It will be hard at times. There will be hills and valleys, but either way, the race is ours to run, and we will either finish well, or we will not.
But in the end, we can expect fruit if we remain steadfast in it.
Our farmers around here don’t plant seeds one day and expect a harvest the next.
They works through drought and mud, and trusts that the seed planted will eventually grow—even if it takes months.
By the way, this is a biblical illustration—
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
It takes time.
Faithfulness isn’t flashy—it’s often quiet, repetitive, and slow. But it produces a harvest in time.
If we do, there is a reward awaiting us.
Look at verse 8-
8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
At the end of this life, there is awaiting for every faithful person, a crown of righteous that we will receive from the Lord Himself.
Will we receive that?
I believe Paul knew he was dying and the last thing he would tell Timothy- is be faithful.
We need more faithful people. People who finish well.
People who make no excuses.
People who serve with their whole heart for their whole life.
So as we close and apply this, I just want to encourage you the way Paul encouraged Timothy.
Regardless of what everyone else is doing, you be faithful.
We only have but so much time to be faithful.
Its a fight to be faithful.
It is a race and course that we must complete.
It is a faith that we must keep.
You know its the middle of July, and we are two weeks away from choosing our Nominating Committee who will be tasked with searching and asking people in our church to serve.
its just so happened that this sermon fell on this day.
Maybe its for this very purpose, that you might be encouraged to say yes in whatever area in which you are asked to serve.
Maybe its for this very purpose that you may be more faithful to the position that you already have.
Maybe its for you to try something new.
Maybe its for you to be more faithful, so that you can serve.
We need faithful people. I can’t make you be faithful or guilt you into it. The Spirit produces this.
But my desire as your pastor is for you and I to be able to stand before god one day and hear from the Master like the servant in the parable of the talents heard-
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Will we hear that? I pray we will.
I have two Bibles that stay in my office, both are not in very good shape.
One belonged to my grandad, and the other belonged Pastor Dennis King.
As you look through these Bible, one thing is clear, they read them.
They used them.
Pastor Dennis has check marks on the chapters. I would invite you to look through his Bible and you will rarely find a page where something is not noted or underlined.
My grandad’s Bible has notes from sermons he listened to.
I’m very careful with both of them, because I don’t want them to fall apart, because they were so well used.
You know, they say, smell is the strongest trigger of memory.
Both of these Bibles have a particular smell.
I know its weird, but the first thing I do when I open this Bible, is smell it, and it smells just like my grandad.
Now, I didn’t make a practice of smelling Pastor Dennis, but I imagine, Mrs. Sue could smell his Bible and smell him.
You know, neither of these men were famous.
I don’t think they headlined any major conferences.
But by the looks of their Bible and by the smell, you can tell that they were in it and near it, so much so that their Bible smells like them.
I think thats what faithfulness looks like.
I know its weird to say, but I think this is what faithfulness smells like.
It’s one thing to have a Bible. Its a powerful thing though to die and leave it with your grandson, and five years later, it still smells like you.
It didn’t get that way just picking it up on Sundays.
It got that way through many years of faithfully opening it daily and communing with God.
What does it look like to be faithful?
I think it looks like this.
