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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!

ARE YOU A FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN?

Introduction 

Today in Green Bay, Wisconsin and in Foxborough, Massachusetts, there will be more than a few people who will prove their faithfulness to their favorite football team.

There will be many fans who will travel great distances at great cost.

There will be some who will pay scalpers prices for tickets. Those tickets will cost them more than what most of us make in month.

These fans will brave frigid, sub-freezing temperatures. Also, the forecast is for the wind to be blowing very hard, so wind chills will be miserable.

But there is nothing that will deter these fans from meeting their appointment with their beloved team! To some of the most extreme of fans, no price is too high for them to pay either monetary wise or physically!

These folks are know as “fans” which is short for “fanatics.” Those of us sitting here today would probably would call them something else!

But, let me ask this. In comparison to what these sports fans are willing to do to be faithful to their favorite football team, can you be considered a faithful Christian?

Here in the book of Hebrews, the writer, who I personally believe to be the Apostle Paul, was writing to a group of believers, many of whom were facing severe persecution because of their conversion to Christianity. As the result of their persecution, some had turned back, and others were being tempted to do the same.

Let's look at Hebrews 6:9-12.

One thing that is true about people, whether they be sports fans, soldiers, employees, or Christians, and that is this, sold out people will do just about anything for what they truly value.

What you and I value the most in life is what we devote the greater part of our time, energy, and resources to.

I.           WE SEE FAITHFULNESS ANTICIPATED! (Vs. 9)

There was a group of Hebrew Christians that had demonstrated their faithfulness to the Lord, and Paul was convinced that they would continue to do so.

Paul makes it clear in this verse that faithfulness is something that comes along with being saved. In his mind, if you were truly born again, there was no question, you would just naturally be faithful.

Unfortunately, we have gotten away from that concept. Today's average Christian's definition of faithful is far different from that of Paul's day.

And by the way, we have it much easier than they did in Paul's day. I sometimes wonder if times were harder and things were more difficult for us as Christians, would we be more faithful?

I know many today who call themselves Christians, and who consider themselves to be faithful, but are they really?

              Let’s put it on a plane that we can all understand!:

              If your car starts once every three or four times, is it faithful? 

If your newspaper is only delivered three days out of seven, would you consider your paper carrier faithful?

Let's say you only went to work a couple of times a week, and you were late when you did show up, would your employer consider you to be a faithful employee?

If your refrigerator stops working for a day or two every now and then, do you say to yourself, "Oh well, at least it's faithful most of the time"?

If you miss a couple of loan payments during the year, does your banker say, "Hey, 10 out of 12 ain't bad. That's pretty faithful."?

If your spouse stepped out on you just every now and then, would you consider him or her faithful?

Now I want you consider your faithfulness to God and His Church. And forget about what the preacher thinks for a minute, do you think that God would view you as faithful to Him?

If, in Paul's day, being born again meant being faithful, why doesn't it still mean that today? Who changed the standard? And by whose permission?

As far as I know, what was expected of God's people in the early days of Christianity is still expected of them today.

Now you can say AMEN of OH ME right there, but its true anyhow!

              WE SEE FAITHFULNESS ANTICIPATED!

II.         FAITHFULNESS DEMONSTRATED! (Vs. 10)

              A.        Let Me Give You A Fact About Faithfulness!

                          1.         It Is Work!

                                      Paul even says so right here in our text.

2.        Today it seems that everyone's looking for the easy way. People are looking for the way of least resistance — the way of least requirement — the way of least responsibility.

                          3.         Too many Christians today want to be viewed as being committed without making a commitment.

They want to be looked at as dedicated without the dedication.

They want to be called "faithful workers" without having to be faithful to the work.

4.          But, if you're going to be truly faithful, it's going to take a lot of work.

              B.        The Foundation of Faithfulness!

                          The foundation of real faithfulness is love!

Note the phrase that Paul used to describe the effort put forth by these Hebrew Christians. He called it a "labor of love."

I’ve been in Church now for over 52 years I started going 9 months before I was born. The first 15 years of my life I went to Church because I had a drug problem. My parents drug me to Church! But when I got saved things changed. And I’ve continued to be faithful to go to Church all these years.

What keeps a man going year after year after year for so many consecutive years? It's love.

A love for the Lord first of all, and secondly, a love for the lost.

Luke 10:27–“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”

But the truth of the matter is, some people aren't as faithful as they should be or could be because they don't love the Lord as they should!

Luke 6:46–“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

              FAITHFULNESS ANTICIPATED!

              FAITHFULNESS DEMONSTRATED!

III.        FAITHFULNESS EMULATED! (Vs. 11-12)

Paul encourages all the Hebrew converts to emulate the faithful by putting forth the same effort with the same level of energy.

He says, "That ye be not slothful . . ." (i.e. Don't be lazy!)

Put forth the same effort with the same energy!

              Paul encourages them to "... shew the same diligence...”

It's one thing to work, but it's another thing altogether to work hard.

It's one thing to do your duty, but it's something altogether different to do your duty with diligence or with energy or eagerness.

Does the level of faithfulness you demonstrate in your life show a passion for Christ that goes beyond the normal levels of what is considered today as faithfulness?

There are some folks who would consider what truly faithful people do as being extraordinary. But in the faithful person’s mind, they are only doing what is expected.

What we need today are more Church members who are willing to be fanatical about faithfulness.

              FAITHFULNESS ANTICIPATED!

              FAITHFULNESS DEMONSTRATED!

FAITHFULNESS EMULATED!

IV.        FAITHFULNESS COMPENSATED! (Vs. 10)

Faithfulness will be rewarded.

              A.        Faithfulness Will Be Rewarded According To God's Righteousness!

                          1.         God will not forget what we do!

The implication here is that He will remember and He will reward.

                          2.         Some may question the thought of serving the Lord for rewards, but Paul didn't have a problem with it.

As a matter of fact, it was Paul who said in Philippians 3:14, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

3.        We can rest assured that God is keeping good records of our service to Him in and through the Church, and in the end, He will do what's right.

B.        Faithfulness Will Be Rewarded According To Man's Humbleness!

1.        You will note in verse 10 that these things were done "toward His name."

Some folks do things for man’s applause or to make themselves look good in the eyes of man!

And those same folks, if they don’t continually get a pat on the back, they quit!

            Jesus warns us in the Gospels about doing things for men's applause or to make ourselves look good.

He's says in essence, "If what you’re looking for is the applause of men, enjoy it while you have it, because, that’s all you will receive."

                            2.        Also note in verse 10, these things are described as having “ministered to the saints.”

Both the word “ministered” and “minister” here mean “to be an attendant, to wait upon. Technically it means to act as a Christian deacon is suppose to act.”

                                         That takes humility!

Conclusion

1 Corinthians 4:1-4

So, are you faithful?

I’m not asking what you might think!

I’m not asking what you think that I think!

I’m not asking what you think that your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ might think!

I’m not asking you what the world might think!

But rather I’m asking you to think about what you truly think God would say! Would God call you faithful?

If not, is it a love problem? You say you love God, but you don’t really love God as much as you should!

Or maybe the problem is that you never have been truly born again to begin with? Why not come to the faithful God Who can give you His salvation! And then as He makes you into a new creation, He can put within you the desire and ability to be faithful to Him!

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!