Bridge Church Vancouver

"A faithful friend - who can find?" Prov 20:6

Faithful employee, employer, neighbour, spouse, child, Christian, church...  Faithfulness, the desired but alluding quality that leaves us wanting, hurt, questioning, skeptical...  Because God is faithful we discover a strength that will lift us up and help us grow in our own faithfulness and affect the lives of others around us.

Faithfulness

When someone does what they say they will do

-adjective

1.         strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.

2.         true to one's word, promises, vows, etc. - binding

3.         steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.

4.         reliable, trusted, or believed.

5.         adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate: a faithful account; a faithful copy.

6.         Obsolete. full of faith; believing.

-Synonyms 1, 3. true, devoted, staunch. 3. Faithful, constant, loyal imply qualities of stability, dependability, and devotion. Faithful implies long-continued and steadfast fidelity to whatever one is bound to by a pledge, duty, or obligation: a faithful friend. Constant suggests firmness and steadfastness in attachment: a constant affection. Loyal implies unswerving allegiance to a person, organization, cause, or idea: loyal to one's associates, one's country. 5. precise, exact

Loyalty is build on the track record of Faithfulness

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

1Cor. 1:1         Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

1Cor. 1:2         To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours:

1Cor. 1:3         Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Cor. 1:4         I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  5 For in him you have been enriched in every way-in all your speaking and in all your knowledge-  6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.  7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.  8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Faithfulness - will do what they say they will;

God is faithful to Himself - His ways, His word, His promises, His will, His character

His ways

Ps 25: 10          All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful

                        for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

His Word

Deut 7: 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

God is faithful to His Son

Lk 9:35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him."  36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone.

In our text this morning: in the 9 verses Paul points to Jesus 9 times

Jesus is God's son who He is pleased and brings glory to, It is his son who sacrificed himself out of love and obedience to the Father for the sake of His children whom he longed to be in relationship with

God is faithful to his children

            Called by His Will

                        He has chosen - Deut 7:6-9 / 1 Cor 1:2

1Cor. 1:2         To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours:

Marked by His fingerprints

                        Sanctified - past tense /  completed action - faithful

(fortunately his faithfulness is not dependant upon my faithfulness)

                        Called to be holy

                        Dependant upon the name of Jesus

                        Enriched in every way

                                    Things we say and do

            Not lacking any spiritual gift

            He will keep you strong & blameless

God has called us into a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ - for his glory

Killer of faithfulness - when we don't believe God is faithful

            Missed expectations

                        When you expect a friend to do something and they don't

When we expect God to do something and then it turns out different to our expectations then we question God's faithfulness

We must remember what God is faithful to and what he is not

He is not going to be faithful to my comfort

He is not going to be faithful to my foolishness

He is not going to be faithful to me looking to find security in someone or something else

            These are things that are generally important to me and when he doesn't step in and make things work together for my good according to my comfort then he must not be trustworthy.

The truth is - he is faithful -to himself, his promises, his word

            He is faithful to his son - his love, sacrifice, righteousness

            He is faithful to his children, who walk in his ways and regard his covenants - who desire and act like his children

2Pet. 1:3          His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

He has called us into a wonderful and unique covenant relationship through his son        

And he is faithful, he is trustworthy, he is reliable, loyal

Even when you and I are not,

Rom. 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He did that to Sanctify us

Call us to be holy

Extend his grace and peace to us

Enrich our lives with every spiritual blessing

Keep us strong to the end - give us endurance to make it through the difficult times

To call us into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ

God is Faithful.  These things he will do.

How do you need to experience his faithfulness today?