Faithfulness – Bible Study

Texts:   Exodus 18: 13-23;  1 Corinthians 4: 1-7; Luke 19:11-27

Aim:   

• To show that the faithfulness of God is true
• To show that fruit of the spirit enhances faithfulness of man to God
•  To teach that man should be faithful in every situation

 

The American Heritage Dictionary defined faithfulness as:

1. Adhering firmly and devotedly as to a person, a cause, or an idea, loyal
2. Having or full of faith;
3. Worthy of trust or belief; reliable,
4. Constant with truth or actuality

 

For the Christian, faithfulness occurs when we allow the Lord Jesus to reproduce Himself in us or when we put on the Lord Jesus Christ and become transformed by His life. In order to go deeper in the course of this Bible study we need to get acquainted with the above texts as read.

The faithful person is one who can be counted on to carry out his or her responsibilities and promises to the best of his or her ability through thick and thin no matter how bad the situation.

 

Faithfulness, then, is a quality that God wants to reproduce in every Christian through the salvation that comes in Christ.  It is a quality of maturity to be sought in the life of a true child of God.

 

Naturally, there is a general faithfulness for which we are all responsible to as a church.  We should be faithful in (1)  prayer, having discussion or intimacy with God;  (2)  we should be faithful in studying the Bible;  (3)  We should be faithful in loving one another;  (4)  We should be faithful in assembling together for worship;  (5)  In encouragement;  (6)  In edification;  (7)  In giving;  and (8)  In showing mercy.

 

Faithfulness in our service to God

A lot of people think it is impossible to live a life of faithfulness and for this reason, unfaithfulness has become a norm in this present world.  We as children of God cannot afford to live life of unfaithfulness.  Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 4: 2 points this to us “Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful”.  Faithfulness may not be recognised because of its simplicity but in the parable of the ten pounds where we have read, (Luke 19: 11-27) we can see how discontentment was displayed, the man that was given one pound and was not satisfied with the pound that he received, Verses 20-23, and the blessing of contentment was received by the one who made profit with his pound.

 

When you are contented with what you have, you will not indulge in ungodly or immoral acts in order to get what you do not have.  As earlier mentioned in the story of the pound in Luke 19: 11-27, the Master did not tell his “subordinates” what he was going to do at his return. He was expecting them to work without counting the cost or looking for rewards. However, at his return, he rewarded and appreciated their faithfulness accordingly.   It is required that man be found faithful in every area of life.

 

Luke 12: 48 teaches us another important related principle.  “From everyone who has been given much (i.e. responsibility), much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked”.  The words, ‘entrusted with much.’, teach us that the greater the responsibilities given to us from God, the greater our responsibility to be faithful because such stewardships are so determinative and influential on others.  To be gifted with precious responsibility is something that requires faithfulness, ushering people into the church auditorium for service or event is a great responsibility and it requires a great faithfulness.

The faithfulness of God is a tremendous encouragement in days when people’s hearts are failing them for fear.  If you build your life on people or on the things of this world, you will have no hope or security; but if you build on Christ, the Faithful One, you will be safe forever.

Faithfulness on money matter

Atimes, every temptation is easy to resist, but temptation in relation to money is very difficult to resist. No wonder, the Bible says “The love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Tim. 6:10). Ananias and his wife Sapphira were, according to the Acts of the Apostles chapter 5, members of the early Christian church in Jerusalem. The account records their sudden deaths after lying to the Holy Spirit about money. Likewise, Judaz Ischariot could not resist the temptation of money hence he sold Jesus Christ.

 

Faithfulness in marriage/sexual matters

The issue of sex has been one very strong tool the devil has used and still using to attack Christians when he cannot get them in other areas. In a marriage where sexual intimacy is lacking, the devil is at work. He has made the church to be silent about it, the church says little or nothing about it and a lot of marriages are breaking down due to lack of intimacy. If couples must be connected to each other, they must not trivialize the importance of their sexual life. Thus, God expects all His children to be faithful to Him and to our spouses in our marriages. Many men and women, even those who claim to be Christians are weak when it comes to sexual matter and relation with opposite sex. When Joseph was seduced by his master’s wife, he didn’t see it as an “opportunity”. He made up his mind to be faithful not only to his boss, but principally to God his maker. Hear what he said in Gen. 39:8-9 “…How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” In the same vein, Paul the apostle encouraged us 1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee from sexual immorality”. To flee is to run away. If we really desire to be faithful to God in our marriages and in any sexual matter, we must make conscious effort, through the grace of God to FLEE AND RUN when it comes to sexual matter. Remember this old law “Man, know thyself”.

 

Questions

1. How would you describe a person of absolute faithfulness?
2. Using your explanation, describe how God’s faithfulness plays a role in your everyday life?
3. How are you expected to be faithful in your specific roles in the following categories? Home, Church, Workplace and Community
4. What motivates you to be faithful in your responsibilities in the following areas? Home, Church, Workplace, Community.

 

Conclusion:

We have seen that faithfulness means reliability or adhering firmly and devotedly to a person, a cause, an idea, or to certain responsibilities.  However, the sad fact is that many people find themselves working in a job they really do not enjoy and that does not mix well with their interests, abilities and training.   It is simply a matter of necessity, of putting bread on the table.  For others, it is simply a matter of having the means to take part in the fun and games of our society; they work five days a week so they can play at the weekends.  People may be found faithful for many reasons or motives.  A man may be very faithful to his employer and his responsibilities because he wants a raise, doesn’t want to lose his job, and wants to advance in his company.  He may be faithful because he loves his work and genuinely enjoys his job.  He may be faithful because he cares about his company and the people he works with and wants to see it grow and be successful.

 

God’s faithfulness in this period when Nigeria is going through turbulent period cannot be over emphasized.  We are experiencing recession in this country and people have embraced life, full of unfaithfulness probably to fast track achievement forgetting that success without God’s approval is like digging a pit for oneself.

 

Memory Verse:  1 Corinthians 4: 2 “More over it is reguired in stewards that a man be found faithful”