Faithfulness, Part 2

Faithfulness faithfulness: The quality of being faithful. a. Fidelity, loyalty (to a superior or friend); trustworthiness, conscientiousness. b. Strict adherence to one's pledged word; honesty, sincerity. c. Exact correspondence to an original or fact. faithful: Of persons, their actions, etc.: Full of or characterized by faith (sense 3); believing. 3. True to one's word or professed belief, abiding by a covenant or promise. fidelity: The quality of being faithful; faithfulness, loyalty, unswerving allegiance to a person, party, bond, etc. infidel: Of persons: Unbelieving; adhering to a false religion; pagan, heathen, etc. I. This study addresses one of the most important attributes of our existence. A. We probably all know someone who has not dealt faithfully. B. We have probably all been disappointed or hurt by someone who dealt unfaithfully. C. We have all at some time or another been unfaithful to God, to our fellowman or to our own word. 1. Have you ever lied to get your way or to damage someone? made a promise that you intended to wiggle out of in order to get what you wanted? PRO 14:5; JER 42:20. 2. Have you ever taken advantage of someone who should have been able to trust you? 2SAM 11:14-15. 3. Have you ever betrayed a confidence that someone placed in you concerning his own weakness, need, secrets, etc? PRO 11:13. 4. Have you ever willfully delayed or skipped a payment that was due? PRO 3:27-28. 5. Have you ever pilfered, peculated, purloined or otherwise taken something that was not rightfully yours? EXO 20:15; TIT 2:9-10. 6. Have you ever not faithfully cared for someone or something committed to your trust? EZE 34:2-3; 1TI 5:8. 7. Have you ever gone back on a promise to men, spouse or children without just cause? 2SAM 21:1-2 ct/w PSA 15:4. 8. Have you ever made a promise to God that you reneged on because no other man knew about it? DEU 23:21-23. 9. Have you ever just gone through the motions of an assigned or accepted task, done it for show? EPH 6:5-6. 10. Have you ever been the recipient of a beneficial mistake from some business and just kept it? EZE 22:13 ct/w 2CO 8:21. 11. Have you ever plagiarized someone else's work and not given credit where it should have been given? ROM 13:7. 12. Have you ever been unfaithful to someone you care for by not correcting them in due time? PRO 27:5-6. 13. Have you given people enough reason to not want to deal with you because they can't trust you? PRO 25:19. 14. Faithful men are far less numerous than self-promoters. PRO 20:6. II. Our God is the ultimate model of faithfulness. DEU 7:9. Faithfulness 6-2-13 Page 1 A. He is a faithful Creator. 1PE 4:19. 1. He is faithful in preserving the earth and heavens He created, even though they be under the bondage of corruption. PSA 119:90-91; GEN 8:22; 2PE 3:7. 2. He is faithful in preserving the spiritual children He created. 1TH 5:23-24. a. They are preserved forever. PSA 37:28. b. Their preservation is owing to His faithfulness to His covenant, not according to the faithfulness of His children. ROM 11:27-29; 2TI 2:13. B. He is a faithful Father. 1. He was faithful to His Son. a. He honored His prayers according to His own word. PSA 34:15; JOH 11:42. b. He did not leave His soul in hell. ACT 2:27 c/w LUK 23:43. c. He did not leave His body in the grave. ACT 2:32. d. He honored His sacrifice for sinners. EPH 4:32. e. He gave Him the promised Davidic throne. ACT 2:30-32; PSA 89:30-34. f. He kept His promise to put all things under His feet. HEB 2:8. 2. He is faithful to confirm His children unto the end. 1CO 1:8-9. 3. He is faithful to limit their temptation. 1CO 10:13. 4. He is faithful to afflict them that they stray not. PSA 119:75, 67, 71. 5. He is faithful to chasten them for disobedience. HEB 12:6-7. 6. He is faithful to show mercy to His penitent children. 2PE 3:9; 1JO 1:9. C. The Son is faithful. HEB 3:1-2. 1. He always pleased the Father. JOH 8:29. 2. He fulfilled all prophecies concerning Him. LUK 24:44. 3. He did the Father's work fully. JOH 17:4. 4. He put His trust in God. HEB 2:13. 5. He was obedient unto death. PHIL 2:8. 6. He is the faithful witness. REV 1:5. 7. He is now a faithful high priest. HEB 2:17. 8. Compare Jesus Christ with the questions asked earlier! D. The Spirit is faithful. 1. The Spirit always attended Jesus Christ. LUK 1:35; MAT 3:16; HEB 9:14; 1PE 3:18. 2. He only speaks that which Christ speaks. JOH 16:13; REV 19:10. 3. He quickens every predestinated son inwardly. ROM 8:30; GAL 4:6. 4. He helps us and intercedes for us. ROM 8:26-27. 5. He ever attends the preaching of the true gospel. 1PE 1:12. 6. He filled Christ's church as promised. ACT 2:1-4, 16-17. 7. He will surely quicken the body of all whom He indwells. ROM 8:11. E. Bless God for His faithfulness. LAM 3:22-23. III. Faithfulness in everyday things is vital to a good testimony. A. A ministerial candidate must have a good report of them that are without. 1TI 3:7. B. The deacons must have an honest report. ACT 6:3. C. Men in general should be able to behold our honest conversation. 1PE 2:12; 3:16. D. We should not be known as scofflaws. 1PE 2:13-16. E. We should be known as respectful and reliable servants/employees. 1PE 2:18; TIT 2:9-10. Faithfulness 6-2-13 Page 2 1. We should be doing what we ought to be doing without continual oversight. PRO 6:6-8. 2. Consider the faithfulness of the temple workers in 2KI 12:15. F. We should not give occasion for the adversary to speak reproachfully. 1TI 5:14 ct/w 2SAM 12:14. G. We should be known as considerate of others' weaknesses. 1CO 10:32. H. We should be ready to do good to all men when opportunity knocks. GAL 6:10; 3JO 1:5. I. When entrusted with a task or responsibility, we should meet or exceed expectations. PRO 25:13; MAT 5:41. J. We should be diligent in business. ROM 12:11; PRO 12:24. K. We should be hearty and zealous in the things we ought to be doing. COL 3:23; 2CO 9:2. L. Our word should be gold: something precious that everyone can count on. PSA 15:4. M. We should be good examples of family living. 1. Spouses must be faithful to one another sexually. Do you need a verse? 2. Spouses must also be faithful to their respective God-given roles and duties. a. Lack of faithful rule would disqualify a husband/father from spiritual office. 1TI 3:4-5. b. Lack of faithfulness in a wife/mother would also disqualify the husband from spiritual office. 1TI 3:11. 3. Fathers must be loving husbands, willing providers, good leaders and teachers, loving disciplinarians, protectors, etc.: all part of being faithful in that role. EPH 5:28; 1TI 5:8; EPH 6:4; HEB 12:7; MAT 24:43. 4. Mothers must be submissive mates, tender nurses, upholders of the will of the husband/father, teachers of virtue, etc.: all part of being faithful in that role. EPH 5:24; 1TH 2:7; PRO 31:11; TIT 2:3-5. 5. Both parents must be willing to sacrifice their individual interests for the greater good and well-being of the family. 6. Children must be obedient to parents, respectful, thankful, mannerly, deferential, trustworthy, etc.: all parts of being faithful in their God-given house. LUK 2:51; EPH 6:1-3 ct/w ISA 3:4, 12; PRO 30:11, 17; PSA 144:11-12. 7. Husband and Wife: Is your marriage something that reflects Christ, that your children would desire, that draws others to your light? 8. Children: a. Can you be trusted to do what is good when your parents are not watching? b. Can you be trusted to not steal or mistreat things your parents own? c. Can you be trusted to do a job promptly, diligently and cheerfully when your parents give it to you? d. Can you be trusted to not bad-mouth your parents to others when they displease you? 9. Families that strive to get these things right will be blessed, respected, successful, leaders, assets to church and community, pleasing to God. 10. Families that are disobedient or indifferent to these things will be cursed, miserable, cringe-worthy examples, “anti-gravity” homes, not trusted with other things, and likely breeding grounds of social trouble. N. All of these (and more) speak of maintaining a good name. PRO 22:1; 1SAM 18:30. 1. A man may acquire great riches by unsavory means, but at what cost? PRO 10:7. 2. Which is more valuable when your world crumbles around you: buckets of money Faithfulness 6-2-13 Page 3 or the loving favor of family, saints, friends, etc.? 3. We ought to live so as to be approved of God and men. ROM 14:18. 4. Contrast the legacies of Josiah and Stephen (2CH 35:25; ACT 8:2) with those of Jehoram and Jehoiakim. 2CH 21:20; JER 22:18-19. 5. It is much easier to keep a good name than it is to recover it. IV. If we would be true friends, we would be faithful friends. A. The value of being a good friend is evident from Scripture's description of the relationship between Abraham and God. JAM 2:23. B. A faithful friend will not “pile on” when you are suffering, as did Job's “friends.” JOB 6:14. C. A faithful friend will not abandon you in times of trouble. JOB 19:14, 19; MAR 14:50. D. A faithful friend loves at all times. PRO 17:17. E. A faithful friend will reprove and improve his fellow. PRO 27:5-6, 17. F. A faithful friend will accept reproof and remain a faithful friend. PSA 141:5. G. A faithful friend will not easily give up on his friend which errs against him. JOB 42:10; LUK 22:61-62 c/w JOH 20:15-17. H. Scripture speaks of especially close friendships. PRO 18:24. 1. There is a friend that is as one's one soul. DEU 13:6 c/w 1SAM 18:1. 2. David later had a familiar friend who turned on him. PSA 41:9. 3. The Son of David shared this verse and fate. JOH 13:18. 4. Anyone that has a close friend should think twice before he violates his trust. V. Jesus Christ often spoke of faithfulness in common things. A. He used an example of a faithful, protective householder to magnify vigilance in the matter of His coming. MAT 24:42-44. B. He spoke of faithfulness in present service that will yield future advancement at His coming. MAT 24:45-47; 25:21. C. He spoke of faithfulness in money matters as being important and a prerequisite to spiritual advancement. LUK 16:9-11. Faithfulness 6-2-13 Page 4