Rev 2:10 (KJV) 10) Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
“Be ye faithful unto death”…
One of the most taught, and important, responsibilities given to a Christian in the pages of God’s Word is the need to be faithful. For this morning, I would like us to ask the question… what does the Bible mean by being “faithful”?
The word “faithful” is translated from a Greek word that means “to be trusted”, “to have confidence” and “to believe in”. The root word from which faithful is derived is a word that means “to be convinced”, “to be brought to one’s side”, “to yield to”. By understanding these words we can more easily understand exactly what the Bible means by the term “faithful”. Biblically, to be “faithful” means “to possess a confidence that causes us to be trustworthy”. In other words, it is to be so totally convinced of a truth that we then consistently apply that truth to our life for the remainder of our days.
So to be “faithful” to our Lord means that we are so totally persuaded in the Bible’s teachings of Christ’s identity, work and teachings that our life becomes consistently, permanently aligned with His cause. It is being “full of faith” in Christ which then allows Him to trust us to be in consistent submission to His desires for us. It is saying that “I KNOW ABSOLUTELY that what the Bible says about Christ is true, therefore I will consciously, constantly align myself with His will and ways in every area of my being.”
To close, I would like to re-emphasize the most misunderstood aspects of being faithful… Being faithful is like a coin that has two sides to it. You cannot have one without the other:
1. First of all, being “faithful” ALWAYS describes outward submission motivated by an inward confidence. To hypocritically submit to the outward commands of Christ is not being “faithful”. Our submission to Him must be motivated by being “full of faith”. We should never think being “faithful” simply involves outward acts.
2, Secondly, being “faithful” does absolutely rely upon our outward acts of submission to His will. We can say we are “faithful” (full of faith) all that we want, but if our lives are not in submission to His will, we cannot claim faithfulness. As a matter of fact, if we think we are full of faith, and our lives do not align themselves to His will, we must question the validity of our faith.
Do our lives exhibit submission to His will and ways, motivated by absolute assurance in Him? Or are we like an actor on a stage, outwardly conforming to the dictates of religion without being convinced of the Bible record concerning Christ?
Do we KNOW that Christ is our Lord and Saviour and we naturally find ourselves treating Him as such? Or are we like those who may possess a mental assent to truths about Christ without that knowledge ever working change in their lives?
May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.
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faith is a small word that hold more power in it than any other word in the world. thank you
AMEN! Lord bless. Continuing To Pray.
Excellent Pastor. I find it frustrating when you tell someone the truth, even with evidence to back it up, and they still don’t believe you. it makes my heart hurt for God.
Very good comment….Not only hurting for God but the poor person who cannot, or will not, see the truth. it is such a horrible position to be in. Lord bless you. Thanks for the comments.
Pastor Rob, is there a way that I have not discovered to help the tough prideful ones to see the truth? I pray for many of them daily, but when you hand them the truth in words they still deny it….
Cathy,
I believe that there are three basic principles to remember when it comes to dealing with those need the truth but they seem to contisitently reject it…
#1 – I try to be sure I approach them with an attitude of love, kindness and understanding of the situation they are in. I try to put myself in their place3 and aminister to them on a level that they are most apt to understand and receive. I believe this is what Paul is speaking of when he speaks of in 1Cor 9:22-23…
“To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all [men], that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with [you].”
We need to remember that the bottom line is that the Lord must open their blinded eyes and show them the truth or else they will never come to understand it, no matter what we say or do… that leads me to the last two principles I try to apply…
#2 – Pray for them. You have already said that you are doing this and you are very wise in doing so.
#3 – Finally, I try to only witness to them when I feel the Lord is opening an opportunity and urging me to do so. I do not try to witness to them everytime I am with them. Agian, I believe, at times, I have tried to witness without the Lord working in the midst of it all…. it was wasted effort. But there are other times when the Lord has prepared my heart to speak (and theirs to receive it) so when i have spoken it was like night and day. By God’s grace they were ready to hear, and because I had not “forced it down their throat” every time they saw me… they were much more receptive to it.
It takes much patience and faith on your part and God’s gracious intervention to bring about the work of salvation. Lord bless you, my friend. I am praying for you anf the one(s) you are witnessing to. Sorry I wasn’t of more help.
I try to witness when the Lord clearly directing me to speak not simply force the issue everytime I am with them.
Good message
Lord bless you. Praying for you. Thanks for the kind comment. The word is so good for each one of us.
The ‘other side of the coin’ is not often explained, but it is so true. Thanks.
Lord bless you. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you for helping us think about our faithfulness to Him today! God bless you!
The whole concept of thankfulness is so important for us to understand. And yet it is commonly misunderstood. Lord bless you.