Faithfulness

I imagine that most of us have been to Yellowstone National Park at some point in our lives, and if so, probably we’ve seen the most famous geyser in all the world, or we have at least heard of it. It got its name on September 18th, 1870 when the members of the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition were traveling through that area. Here is what Nathaniel Langford, a member of that expedition, wrote about that occasion, “Judge, then, what must have been our astonishment, as we entered the basin at mid-afternoon of our second day’s travel, to see in the clear sunlight, at no great distance, an immense volume of clear, sparkling water projected into the air to the height of one hundred and twenty-five feet. ‘Geysers!  Geysers!’ exclaimed one of our company, and, spurring our jaded horses, we soon gathered around this wonderful phenomenon. It was indeed a perfect geyser … It spouted at regular intervals nine times during our stay, the columns of boiling water being thrown from ninety to one hundred and twenty-five feet at each discharge…  We gave it the name of ‘Old Faithful.’”  And it has continued to do so ever since. Almost like clockwork, it will erupt at intervals of either 65 or 91 minutes, dependent on the length of the prior eruption. It is one of the most predictable geographical features in the world. And that’s the reason it’s the most famous. There are bigger geysers. There are ones that will spray to greater heights. There are ones that are arguably more scenic. But they’re not near as faithful, dependable, or reliable.

The people in the eyes of God who stand out among all other people are likewise those who exhibit great faithfulness. They are not necessarily the most talented or impressive looking or intelligent or wealthy or powerful or most awarded or most influential, because much of that is the result of privileges and blessings that God gives to people. God doesn’t esteem people because of stuff He’s given them. God’s estimation of people has much more to do with how faithful they are; how dependable, reliable, how much He and other people can count on them to keep their word, to follow through with their commitments, to carry out their responsibilities.

The last time I preached I talked about how what God wants more than anything is the fruit of righteous character. It’s not religious practice or offerings that He’s after. It’s righteousness, Christlikeness. And at the core of righteous Christ-like character is faithfulness.

Matthew 23:23, the Lord said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.

Let’s first notice…

Some Proverbs about faithfulness

Proverbs 3:1ff, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, [Why?]  2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. [Keeping these commandments will add to you both duration and quality of life.] Then here’s the first commandment, “3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.” Something you bind around your neck is something that you never drop. And for something written on the tablet of your heart means it’s been permanently set as part of the core of your being. So all the time everywhere we go, at home, in the work place, when we’re by ourselves, when we’re out with friends, on Sunday mornings and Friday nights, we are to talk and act out of steadfast love and faithfulness. Then verses 4 says, “4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.” So if you want God to like you and people to like you and you want to be successful, the way, says the Scripture, is conduct yourself in steadfast love and faithfulness everywhere all the time.

Proverbs 12:22, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” More than anything in the world I want to be delightful to the Lord, who made me, sustains me, died for me, and I will be so if I act faithfully.

Proverbs 19:22, “What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar.” It begs the question, what is desired in a man by who? By God? Or by people? Like many proverbs, it has a dual meaning, it’s both. What God desires in a man and what people desire in a man, is steadfast love and faithfulness. And it would be better to have these qualities than to have wealth.

Proverbs 20:6, “Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love but a faithful man who can find?” So it’s saying that a really faithful man according to God’s definition is a rare person. That’s certainly the case in our society where unkept promises and broken vows and white lies and skipped appointments and fickleness are normal occurrences.

I’ve heard a few different people I know, who are employers, talk about how hard it is to find dependable workers these days. They’ve hired so many people that are unreliable; constantly coming in late or regularly calling in with excuses for why they can’t come into work that day, or who cheat on their time cards, or can’t be left unsupervised at the store or the job site because they will steal stuff, etc.

In our culture, when your husband is no longer the strikingly handsome fella he used to be and he snores horribly at night and begins to do other things that really annoy you, then you can disregard the fact that you made vows before God to stick it out together for better or worse. A faithful person, who can find?

This next verse, Proverbs 20:7, tells me this is a good Father’s day sermon topic. “The righteous who walks in his integrity – blessed are his children after him.” The greatest thing we can do for our kids and grandkids is work on our own character with the help of God’s Spirit. That’s for two reasons I think. One is that God will bless the household of a righteous man. The other is that so much of what children learn is caught not taught. They learn how to think, talk and act not so much by our instruction but by our example. The whole “I want you to obey me so you don’t end up like me” thing has never really worked. Dr. James Dobson in his book “Strong Willed Child” says, “The footsteps a child follows are most likely to be the ones his parents thought they covered up.”

Then Proverbs 28:20, “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.” What often prevents us from acting in faithfulness is that we want to get rich and rich quick by not being honest.

So let’s take a little self-examination test to…

Check ourselves for faithfulness.

Do you make promises, perhaps to your children or your spouse, and then break them? Sometimes people think it’s such a little thing, it’s no big deal, but Jesus said if you’re faithful in little things, you’ll be faithful in much. And if we aren’t faithful in little things, we can’t be trusted to be faithful in big things.

How careful are you about making promises? Do you really think through things before you promise because you are committed to always keeping your word? Or do you quickly make promises when it’s beneficial at the moment?

Do you turn up late for appointments? One thing we can notice about God from His creation is that God is never late. The sun never rises late, never sets late, it’s always on time. Everything God is responsible for in this universe is punctual. If we are displaying God’s faithfulness then I think we are too, we can be counted on to be on time.

Do you borrow money and not repay it? Do you know what it says in Psalm 37:21, “The wicked borrows but does not pay back.

Do you let bills become overdue when you could have ate out less and paid them?

Do you spread news of the failings of others? Do you talk about others’ faults? Proverbs 11:3 says, “Whoever goes about slandering revels secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.” A trustworthy faithful friend will keep your faults hidden. They may talk to you about them, but they don’t go tell others.”

You accidently break something in a home-décor store. Do you run from the scene of the crime? Or do you go to the front and tell them what happened?

You’re taking a “make it” or “break it” exam and you don’t know the answer to one of the questions. Do you look at someone else’s paper?

You’re babysitting a little kid and you break the lamp in the house? When the parents come home, who do you tell them broke the lamp?

It’s Christmas time and all the presents are under the tree, and you notice one with your name on it and it has a small rip in the corner, do you…  Wait, that one doesn’t apply? I mean it’s Christmas. I don’t know why that’s in the list.

Those questions have to do with our faithfulness toward people. How about our faithfulness specifically toward God? Can God count on us to handle the things He’s given us?

If God brings someone into your life who’s hurting or in need, can He count on you to give of your time and money to take care of that person?

If He places you among unbelievers for a while who need to know Him, can He count on us to confess our faith in Him and reflect the beauty of His character and work the gospel into our conversations?

Now, I want to leave you with a perspective that helps me with faithfulness. It’s the perspective of stewardship. The word “faithful” occurs eleven times in the gospels. And every single time it’s in connection with a parable Jesus told. And all the parables have something in common: they represent this picture of…

Stewardship

The parables picture us as servants and Jesus as our master, and they picture all that we have, our money, our abilities, our time, the authority we might have over others, our knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom as not really ours, it all belongs to our master. And He has entrusted it to us. And we’re responsible for using what He’s given us in ways that are pleasing to Him. And one day He’s going to come back and we’re going to give an account to Him for what we did with what belonged to Him. It’s a powerful perspective when it really sinks in that this is the truth about ourselves and all we have. So I want you to just imagine with me for a bit, if the Lord were to speak to someone and try to impress this perspective on them. I imagine it going something like this:

“Hello, my servant. I want to talk with you.”

“Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

“Servant, tell me to whom do you and all that you have belong?”

“Oo Lord, I know this one! Since you created me and all things and you sustain me and you died for me. All that I am and all that I have belongs to you.”

“That’s right. Good job. So I want you to hand over to me your car keys.”

“Wait. What? You want my car keys?”

“Did I stutter? Yes, give me your car keys.”

“Why my car keys?”

“None of your business.”

“But…I have to go places…”

“Yeah I know, but whose car is that?”

“It’s yours.”

“That’s’ right and I want you to hand over the keys?”

“Okay, Lord. Here they are. I guess I can drive the old clunker around.”

“No, give Me the keys to your clunker. That belongs to Me as well.”

“My clunker?”

“Yes.”

“Okay Lord. I said all that I have belongs to you.”

“While you’re at it, give Me the keys to your house as well.”

“My house, Lord?”

“Did you not say, that all you have belongs to Me?”

“Yes, I said that. Here are my house keys. I guess the family and I will just live in the motor home.”

“You have a motor home? Give me the keys to your motor home.”

“My motor home, Lord? Where will we live? We’ll have to live in the tent.”

“Give Me the tent. That’s mine too.”

“Yes, I said that Lord. Here they are.”

“Let’s see, I got your home, I got your vehicles, everything in your home, all of your possessions. Wait a minute. What about those fishing poles over there?”

“My fishing poles, Lord? Take Skip Faulkner’s fishing poles. Not my fishing poles.”

 “Those poles are Mine.”

“Yes Lord. I said all that I have is Yours.”

“Now, let’s see. Do I have everything?”

“That’s it, Lord. I have nothing else.”

“You have a wife. And you have some children. Those are mine.”

“My wife? My children, Lord?”

“Did you not say that all you are and all that you have are Mine?”

“Yes, Lord. My wife and my children are Yours. Here they are.”

“Alright, now, my servant. I have some things I want you to take care of for me for a while. But I want you to remember who they belong to. I’m going to give you this wife. Now who does this wife belong to?”

“She’s Yours, Lord.”

“That’s right. So you just can’t do anything you want to with this woman, because she’s Mine. And so you have to live with her in ways that are pleasing to Me, not you. I don’t ever want to see or hear you being unkind to this woman, because she belongs to Me. Can you remember that?”

“Yes, Lord. She’s Yours.”

“Now, I’m going to give you these children, but just temporarily. I expect you to see to it that these children learn much about Me and my word and that they see what it means to follow Me in your daily life. Do you understand that? Do you understand who these children belong to?”

“Yes, Lord. I’ll be reading your word to him and praying with them and showing them how to serve and love people.”

“Okay, you can have them for a little while. You’re going to need a place to live so I’m going to give you this house, and I’m also going to give you that motor home and tent back too. And I’ll give you these other vehicles so you can go places. Now, who do they belong to?”

“They’re yours Lord.”

“So you use them how I want you to use them. They are My things. And don’t you forget that. In just a few weeks I’m sending a missionary to your town, and I want him to come stay at your house. You open your house for him. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, Lord. It’s your house.”

“And then later on I want you to have some people out there who need friends and encouragement. I want my house to be used in hospitality and generosity. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, Lord. It belongs to you.”

“Now, I’m going give you these fishing poles. But I want you to be careful with these fishing poles. I don’t want to see you out there on the lake on Sunday when your brothers and sisters are meeting for worship. Who do they belong to?

“They’re yours Lord.”

“That’s right. I don’t want these to become a distraction when there’s more important things for you to be doing. And when you’re out there and your line gets snagged on a log, I don’t want to hear My name come out in vain. I don’t want My fishing poles used in that way.”

“Yes, Lord. I understand.”

All that we are and all that we have belongs to the Lord. And we have responsibilities with what belongs to God. And one day soon He will come and according to the parables of Jesus He will call us to give an account for what we did with what He gave us. And I can think of nothing greater in all the world than to hear Him say on that occasion, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” “You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master.” (Matthew 25:21-23) Let’s live to hear those words.

-James Williams

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