Bible Studies

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Faithfulness


1 Cor 4:1-7
1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Here then, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

What are we told here that is required of those who serve God?

There are a number of things I’d like to consider about faithfulness:
? What is not required?
? What is required?
? What is a steward and what are we stewards of?
? What do you do faithfully for the brethren?
? What are the rewards of faithfulness?

First I’d like to us to think together on what’s not required.
It’s not required that one be found:
Wealthy
We can’t serve God and money. It's not whether, by God's providence, you have money, but whether money has you. Too often in too many churches the qualification for eldership is being a successful businessman. I knew a man, a cook by trade, who had had a very rough life and was dramatically converted. He came to love the Lord with all his heart. He wasn’t well to do and didn't have the greatest intellect, but he studied the Word as much as he could and tried to live by it. But no one in the church I was attending at the time would have considered him for leadership. Some of the men who were leaders fell into some serious sin, but this man has remained faithful.

Beautiful
Isa 53:2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness when we shall see Him, no beauty that we should desire Him.
This was said about Christ. Should the steward be greater than the Master?
1 Pet 3:1-4 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,
2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward-- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--
4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
Ps 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Part of what inspires faithfulness is the fear of not doing the right thing. Beauty is a matter of the inner person more than the outer person. Chaste conduct and modest appearance are reflections of true inner beauty. When a heart becomes in tune with and submits to the order God has created, that inner spirit best shines through

Sophisticated, Having Social Status, Being With It
1 Cor 1:24-29 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

The need for social status can be nothing more than narcissistic slavery. Every person however humble or great fits into a larger picture. We could be guilty of looking down our noses at the creators perfect design.

Popular, Talented, successful- See above.

Intelligent, I knew a retarded man, at the Abby in Newton, who exhibited more sense and maturity than many normal people I know. Yet he probably only had the intellect of a 5 year old.
Phil 4:7 and the peace of God, which is held above all intellect, will keep your hearts and your comprehension in Christ Jesus. Also see the example of the cook under wealthy.

Skinney
This is a big one in our current culture, which is obsessed with appearance. Now I’m not talking about weight in regard to health, but rather a short sightedness, which even generates mental illnesses, centered on its pursuit. I forget what the subject was or what generated the comment, but in a Sunday School class a number of years ago, a woman said, “ I guess God can’t use overweight people.” I replied, “ I guess God wasn’t able to use Moody, Spurgen, or Ironside, who were all 300 plus, pounders.” There was dead silence for awhile. I knew a man in another church who seemed very devout. He had been a leader in that church. Both he and his wife were quite over weight. She was very anti Christian. He prayed for years she might be converted. Just about the time he’d finished rebuilding their house, he had started going to a gym and dieting. After awhile he lost a lot of weight and not too long after that ran off with a woman that worked out in the same gym who had come onto him. Through all the aftermath his wife became truly converted while he renounced the faith. She now prays for his conversion. He had been healthier when he was fat.

What is required?
The point to all of this is that none of these things that our society and we require of each other is what is needed for Godliness. If God doesn't require it of us, then why do we? Only one thing is required, faithfulness- the quality of consistency of integrity in regard to invested trust. God can supply all other needs, but without fidelity on your part God will give nothing. Whatever else you have, without faithfulness, your marriage or any other relationship will crumble. Without faithfulness to founding principles and a regard for what’s in the people’s best interests, nations, societies, and cultures fall to ruin. Without faithfulness, a church will never be anything more than a liquor less bar. Cheers!
Num 12:6-8 Then He said, "Hear now My words: if there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.
7 Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house.
8 I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the Temoonah (embodiment) of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?"
1 Sam 2:35 'Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever.
Neh 9:7-8 "You are the LORD God, who chose Abram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and gave him the name Abraham;
8 You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites-- to give it to his descendants. You have performed Your words, for You are righteous.
Gal 3:9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Deut 7:9-10 "Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
10 "and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.

What is a steward and what are we stewards of?
3623 oikonomos (oy-kon-om'-os); KJV-- chamberlain, governor, steward
From 3624 oikos (oy'-kos) home, house and the base of 3551 nomos (nom'-os ) from a primary, nemo (to parcel out, especially food or grazing to animals);, or overseer,. ; law (through the idea of prescriptive usage), genitive case (regulation), specifically (of Moses [including the volume]; also of the Gospel), or figuratively (a principle):


We get our word “economy” from oikonomos. The steward was to make sure the other servants of the house got what they needed to do their job. The steward was usually a bondservant. That’s a whole other sermon.

1) a house-distributor (i.e. manager) of household or of household affairs, a fiscal agent (treasurer)
a) especially a steward, manager, superintendent (whether free-born or as was usually the case, a freed-man or a slave) to whom the head of the house or proprietor has entrusted the management of his affairs, the care of receipts and expenditures, and the duty of dealing out the proper portion to every servant and even to the children not yet of age. The law was the child leader to bring us to christ.Gal.3:24
b) the manager of a farm or landed estate, an overseer
c) the superintendent of the city's finances, the treasurer of a city (or of treasurers or quaestors of kings)
2) metaphorically, the apostles and other Christian teachers and bishops and overseers

1 Cor 4:1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Matt 13:11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

In this passage, we are instructed to be stewards of the mysteries. The term mystery had such a tremendous amount of religious, social and political connotation to the people of Paul’s time that it is difficult for us to relate to it today. Secretive religious rites were often referred to as “mysteries”, but that’s not what they were. The actual ancient definitions would be something like “A secret imparted only to the initiated, what is unknown until it is revealed, whether it be easy or hard to understand.” The idea of incomprehensibility if implied at all is purely accidental.
In the New Testament the word denotes, not the mysterious (as with the English word), but that which being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation. These are made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and only to those who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense a "mystery" implies knowledge withheld; its Scriptural significance is truth revealed. Hence, the terms especially associated with the subject are "made known", "manifested", "revealed" and "dispensation” (more properly stewardship). The definition given above may be best illustrated by the following passage:
Col 1:26 The mystery which has been hid from all ages and generations: but now it has been manifested to His saints" RV.

So then, the mysteries we are to steward are those things unrealized by those who have turned their eyes away from God, but are or have been realized in you, hopefully. This comprises our testimony, the things we have learned and experienced in Christ and how He rules over and leads us in the spirit. The commonality of all Christian teaching and experience is: The truth of Scripture; Who Christ is; our relationship to Him and all that we are or need to be in Him. This is what we are to steward to each other.

What do you do faithfully for the brethren?
3 Jn 1:3-6 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
5 Beloved, you, do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers,
6 who have borne witness of your love before the church? If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well,
What do you do faithfully for your brethren? Do you do anything faithfully for them. Note it’s not just doing things, but doing them faithfully.

Without faithfulness it is worthless to God. This is a serious test of where you stand with Him. He will often put you in a situation where others neglect things in the church to test your faithfulness and inclination to discouragement. Hang in there, you aren’t doing anything just for others or even yourself, but for Him.

Finally, What are the rewards of faithfulness?
Well, faithfulness itself.
If you and everyone were faithful in everything, what would life be like? Would it not be heaven on earth. If God were not faithful, what would life and the world be like?
Apart from this your reward will be God himself.
Ps 31:23 Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person.
Prov 20:6 Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?
Prov 28:20 A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
Dan 6:4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.
Matt 24:45-46 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?
46 "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
Matt 25:21 "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
Luke 16:10-12 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
11 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 "And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?

God’s approval is the reward. Can there be anything that is worth more? Without it what else could you have? He can give you everything else, but faithfulness is your responsibility.
Whatever you understand, or don’t, Whatever denomination you ascribe to, or disciplines you embrace, faithfulness to Him as a person and as your lord is paramount.
In the parable of the talents there is an unspoken promise that if we will invest what God has given us He will see to it that there will be increase out of what is invested for Him. So in whatever state you find yourself in be faithful and never worry about what you don't have, God has equipped you with all you need to do His will.

I’d just like to look at a few last Scripture passages to make us think.
2 Chr 34:10-12 Then they put it in the hand of the foremen who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they gave it to the workmen who worked in the house of the LORD, to repair and restore the house.
11 They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone and timber for beams, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.
12 And the men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to supervise. Others of the Levites, all of whom were skillful with instruments of music,
2 Chr 19:6-9 and said to the judges, "Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.
7 "Now therefore, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes."
8 Moreover in Jerusalem, for the judgment of the LORD and for controversies, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the chief fathers of Israel, when they returned to Jerusalem.
9 And he commanded them, saying, "Thus you shall act in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and with a loyal heart:
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had no t received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Prov 12:17 He who speaks faithfully declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit.
Dan 6:4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.
Rev 2:10 "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Matt 10:22
"And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

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