Our Future As A Church

Our Future As A Church – 4

“Faithfulness”

By Bill Denton

Introduction

A. Illustration

Some time ago, I was chatting with a man who consults with some of the largest U.S. companies about their quality control. Because ministry is a form of human quality control, I thought I'd ask him for some insights.

He said, "In quality control, we are not concerned about the product." I was surprised.

But then he went on to say, "We are concerned about the process. If the process is right, the product is guaranteed."

How relevant to our Christianity.

We tend to be more oriented to the "product" of our faith than the process.

As American Christians, we tend to desire and demand products of righteousness, but give little attention to the process.

-- Joseph M. Stowell

B. I think we are a lot like this in that we sometimes focus on the end result but fail to put much

Energy into the process leading to our product

1. We speak of faith, and of becoming a faithful person, yet we often ignore what that

means on a day-to-day kind of thing

2. We’ll talk of heaven and eternal life, yet we will ignore the reality that it is life spent

right now that leads to such great gifts from God

3. In the sermons for this month, I’ve been talking about our future as a church

a. taking a positive approach

1) a serious and sincere faith

2) an atmosphere of love and respect

3) believing that God has a purpose for us

b. dreams and hopes

1) the case for dreams and hopes is built around people like Nehemiah

and the disciples of Jesus whose hearts burned within them as he

turned their minds to God’s word instead of tragic events

2) the church needs to have dreams and hope for the future if we’re

ever to accomplish God’s will in this world

c. commitment and dedication

1) hindered by lack of faith and negative thinking

2) built on the act of giving ourselves to God and sacrificing in order

to do the greater things of God’s design

C. All of these are important, but they cannot – will not – be done without caring for the process,

And the process is faithfulness

I. A Sampling of Important Verses Urging Faithfulness

A. Matt 24:42-46 -- "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is

coming. "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night

the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house

to be broken into. "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an

hour when you do not think He will. "Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his

master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? "Blessed is

that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. NASU

1. The passage has something to do with judgment (though not our discussion today0

2. What does a faithful servant do since he does not know when his master will return?

a. he is a servant prepared and ready

b. he is a servant who follows through on his responsibilities

3. Is it so easy to miss a very basic point: the blessed slave is one who is found serving

when the master comes – that’s faithfulness

B. Matt 25:20-23 -- "The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more

talents, saying, "Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.'

"His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few

things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' "Also the

one who had received the two talents came up and said, "Master, you entrusted two talents to

me. See, I have gained two more talents.' "His master said to him, "Well done, good and

faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things;

enter into the joy of your master.' NASU

1. Popular story – we learn this one in Sunday school

2. Three servants, all entrusted with differing amounts until the master returned

3. Two of them took what had been trusted to them and produced more, but one took

what had been trusted to him and hid it away, thinking that the master would be

pleased to simply get back what he left

4. The faithful servants were those who showed themselves trustworthy and productive

C. Luke 16:10 -- "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is

unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. NASU

1. I think this is one of the most powerful verses in all the Bible on the subject of

faithfulness

2. Reason: because it gets to the heart of matter

3. We like to fool ourselves into thinking that we’d be faithful if we had some big thing,

or big project, or some huge responsibility placed on our shoulders – if we had such

a thing, we’d be faithful – but it’s not true.

4. Only the man who will be faithful in the smallest of things is really trustworthy

D. Illustration

The sign in the window read: "Boy Wanted". Young John Simmons, though he was lazy, saw his opportunity and applied. Elderly Mr. Peters quickly hired him. The pace was leisurely so he enjoyed the job. Toward the middle of the afternoon however, he was sent up to the attic -- a dingy place full of cobwebs and infested with mice. "You will find a long, deep box there," explained Mr. Peters. "Please sort out the contents and see what should be saved." John was disappointed. It was a large container, and there seemed to be nothing in it but old junk. After a few minutes he went back to the ground floor. Asked by the proprietor if he had completed his work, he replied, "No, sir, it was dark and cold up there and I didn't think it was worth doing." At closing time he was paid and told not to return. The next morning the old sign "Boy Wanted" appeared in its usual place. Crawford Hill was the next to be employed. When he was asked to tidy up the same box, however, he spent hours separating the usable nails and screws from the things to be discarded. Suddenly he raced down the stairs all excited. "At the very bottom I found this!" he exclaimed, holding up a 20-dollar bill. At last the store owner had discovered a conscientious boy to whom he could entrust his business when he retired. Years later Mr. Peters said, "This young man, who is now my successor, found his fortune in a junk box!" Then, correcting himself, he added, "No, he actually found it in his mother's Bible because he heeded the verse she made him memorize: 'He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much!'"

1. It’s the process, you see that produces the desired result

2. There just isn’t any way we can get around it

II. Faithfulness Affects The Future Of The Church – This Church

A. Faithfulness determines how we treat the gospel

1. 2 Cor 4:7 -- But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing

greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; NASU

a. the treasure is the gospel

b. it’s value is the love of God, laced with grace, and jeweled with mercy

c. there is no treasure of any kind that comes close to the value of the gospel

2. But notice how Paul connects the possession of such a treasure, not just with its

product, but with the process of life itself

a. 2 Cor 4:8-18 -- we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but

not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus

also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being

delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be

manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. But

having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I BELIEVED,

THEREFORE I SPOKE," we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing

that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will

present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which

is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to

abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our

outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For

momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far

beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at

the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but

the things which are not seen are eternal. NASU

b. is this how we treat the gospel

B. Faithfulness determines the course of lives

1. Rev 2:10 -- "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to

cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation

for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. NASU

2. Be faithful until death

a. that doesn’t say “be faithful at your death” (though it’s included in the

thought)

b. it’s be faithful now, and keep on being faithful throughout your life, until you

die (it’s the process again)

3. Faithfulness determines all the specifics of your life, your character and integrity, and

therefore the actions and events your produce along the way

a. faithfulness determines whether you will endure as a Christian or fall away

from God’s grace

b. faithfulness determines your ability to live up to your responsibilities

1) fidelity as a husband or wife

2) trustworthiness as a parent, or an employee, or simply a citizen

3) responsibility in serving God – whether in worship and praise, or by

taking the gospel to a neighbor, or providing help to the needy

4) we cannot get away from the fact that it is the process of faithfulness

takes us toward the end product

C. Faithfulness is the necessary hard work to build a great church

1. We can be positive all we want, but if we are not faithful then what we build will

only be a monument to ourselves, not the body of Christ

2. We can dream and hope all we want, but if we are not faithful, then all the dreams

are useless and hope is empty

3. You can be full of commitment and dedication, but if it’s all misguided and you end

end up faithful to something other than Jesus Christ, the it will never build that which

Jesus called us to build

4. You cannot get away from the fact that a great church is built on faithfulness

a. will you be faithful to Jesus Christ

b. will you be faithful to God’s word

c. will you be faithful every day, in every way, wherever you are, in the

company of whomever you choose for companions, regardless of the time, or

the circumstances, or the pressures, or the opportunities, or the temptations

Conclusion

A. Illustration

Joe Gibbs, a coach of monk-like dedication, was in a party mood after his Washington Redskins routed the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.

"I was just getting ready to go out and have some fun for the first time in six months," said Gibbs, who slept at the office three nights a week during the season.

As I read those words from an issue of USA Today, I asked myself, "What actions. . . show my commitment to Christ, like Joe Gibbs has for football

-- Jeff Carroll

1. You want to win a Super Bowl – there’s a process involved in becoming a champion

2. You want to build a great church – same thing is true – and the process is called

faithfulness

B. Invitation