INTRO: Playing catch with Joel the other day, talent, working on his form, giving him some pointers to help him. Told Joel he could be the Ace’s pitcher next if he was faithful to the sport. Brought back memories of people I used to play with who had so much talent and natural ability but were not faithful to the sport which in the end was the downfall of them.
TITLE: Faithfulness
TEXT: Gen. 6:9-12
I. Understand the term faithfulness.
A. Definition: Webster’s Dictionary - An allegiance to duty to person, loyalty.
1. Original language - Heb. (OT) means a firmness, stability, idea of trust and consistency.
- GK (NT) means truth, reality, genuinus, trustworthy.
B. Four closely associated qualities of faithfulness:
1. Believe: Must think it’s true, believe in something or someone.
ex Children trusting in parents for needs (Eric and Felicia not worrying), chair.
2. Obedience: You cannot be faithful without obeying. If you’re faithful to God that means you
have to obey what He tells you.
ex God may test your faithfulness by what may seem to be weird to the natural mind.
-Abraham sacrificing son, Moses hands in air (war), Joshua marching around Jericho, Paul jumping on boy, Jesus mixing mud and saliva put into eyes of blind, Ezekiel lay on right side 390 days and 40 left side (bound with rope).
3. Endurance: Staying power, endure to the end (Nolan Ryan).
a. Spiritual truth - Matt. 10:22 “all men will hate you because of me, but he who stands to the end will be saved.”
ex King Saul, Judas
b. No reward for finishing part of the race or finishing part of the job.
4. Hope: Reward at the end. Proverbs - “A man will die without hope.”
ex College, good job, field enjoy, salary (light at the end of tunnel).
II. Noah’s faithfulness: Gen. 6:9-12 (READ)
A. The decree (v. 7) - God was about to wipe mankind off the face of the earth because of their wickedness, along with every living creature.
1. Rotten to the core: Only thing left was to destroy everything.
ex Cooler full of food, heat, crack in it, months, throw the whole thing out!
2. Broke Lord’s heart - after creating mankind (God said it was very good), now God was going to destroy mankind because of its wickedness.
ex Mike, parents broke off relationship because of the pain.
3. Bright spot - Noah was a righteous man (means to be right in a point of law, pardon of sin).
a. Blameless among his people - walk with God was pure, consistent over many years, scripture tells us blameless among his people.
b. Not contaminated - even though lived in a wicked corrupted society, a society so wicked God was going to destroy it. It didn’t drag him down. (Lot, Abraham was dragged down). Noah wasn’t because of his faithfulness to God.
Key: Didn’t get dragged down because he walked with God. Jesus during stressful times in his ministry got alone with God. (If he did, how much more should we).
B. The instruction - v. 13-22 (READ)
1) View events from divine perspective - readers are allowed to look down from heaven and see what the Lord sees and allows us to listen in on his conversation.
2) God’s faithfulness - God’s judgment, wrath is going to fall. God will either reward or punish depending on the faithfulness of the people.
3) Noah to build ark - a giant boat.
a. Dimensions -450’ long, 75’ wide, 45” high- 96,000 sq. ft., 1.4 million cubic ft., carry 14 gross tons.
-About three churches, end to end.
1. Scripture tells us Noah and family didn’t have any help even though it was possible.
a. Scholars speculate that it took Noah 100 years to build the ark.
ex senior project (overwhelming).
-I believe that’s why God does not show us the big picture at times because we can get overwhelmed.
b. Faithfulness - should have nothing to do with time.
1. We can be faithful when time span is short.
ex Exercise for a period of time.
-Americans are accused of no staying power. They need things to happen fast. (Desert Storm, Bosnia).
2. Our concept of faithfulness should have nothing to do with time.
B. Noah was faithful - built an ark, took a long time to build it. Also had to get the animals on board.
1. Preached righteousness with lip and action. 2 Peter 2:5 tells us Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Noah not only built the ark but also preached to them. Picture: travelers stopping by along with town’s people to see what Noah and his family were building (gave him opportunity to preach).
C. Four qualities associated with faithfulness.
1. Believe - Noah believed in God. He walked with God.
2. Obedience - v. 22 - “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”
-Notice just as God commanded, down to the smallest detail (roof 18 inches from top of ark).
3. Endurance: Staying power, time it took to build the ark (100 years).
4. Hope: Reward in the end, Noah saved the human race because of his faithfulness.
D. Action: There has to be some action (rubber meets the road or when does the horse plow the field).
Three types of horses.
1. Wild horse - this is a type of person who acts first and then prays later.
(getting things done, workaholic, things have to happen). Result: runs into a lot of trouble because has trouble waiting on the Lord.
2. Dead horse - this is a type of person who prays but never acts, lazy, sits and waits for God to act.
Result: God is not real because he has not acted, bringing frustration and disillusionment.
3. Tame horse - this is the type of person who acts when the Lord directs, obedient, hard working, patient. Result: Strong faith in God, joyful Christian, content, balanced life.
4. Jesus was the true tame horse - the truly balanced life. We who have sin either are on the side of the wild horse or the dead horse.
-It’s better to be on the side of the wild horse than the dead horse because it’s easier to tame a wild horse than it is to raise a horse from the dead!
5. What type of horse was Noah?
a. Dead horse - “God, will you do something about the sin and corruption. I think you called me to build an ark, but you have not supplied the people or materials (so I will wait until you do.”)
b. Wild horse - “God, I believe you called me to build an ark. I’ve got all the materials, contracted all the labor out, gathered all the animals, but where is the water.” Good thing water has not come yet because the boat would probably leak because he didn’t wait on the Lord’s instruction.
c. Tame horse - Heard God’s instruction and then acted. It’s interesting that God did not provide the ark. Noah had to build it.
I believe Noah was a tame horse but had strains of being wild (tired of the sin and corruption) asking God for justice.
Q: What type of horse are you?
III. Our faithfulness - I Cor. 4:2 - “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
KJV - “Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.”
A. Requirement - A duty, not a request, but a command. If we are Christians, born again believers; then we are God’s stewards and we have requirement to fulfill.
I. Faithful to God - whether it be going to God’s house to worship, tithing, helping do some of the work in the house of God, spreading the gospel to the lost.
Illustration:
-If your paper boy skips delivery every Monday and Thursday, is he trustworthy?
-If your car starts five out of seven days, is it reliable?
-If you don’t go to work once or twice a month, are you a loyal employee?
-If your refrigerator stops working for a day or two every now and then, do you say, “Oh well, it
works most of the time.”
-If your water heater provides an icy-cold shower every now and then, is it dependable?
-If you miss a couple of loan payments every year, does the bank say “ten out of twelve isn’t bad?”
-If you fail to worship God one or two Sundays a month, would you expect to be called a faithful
Christian?
We expect faithfulness and reliability from things and other people. Does not God expect the same from us? The problem is that in our religious activities we see ourselves as volunteers rather than as duty bound. For a volunteer, almost anything seems acceptable. For a servant who is duty bound, faithfulness is expected.
B. The truth - Luke 16:10-12 (READ) Are we being faithful with what God has given us?
CONCLUSION:
1. Definition: Faithfulness, not based on time.
2. Four qualities closely related to faithfulness (believe, obey, endure, hope).
3. Noah’s faithfulness (God turned him into a stallion).
4. Action: three types of horses (wild, tame, dead).
Close with a second century story of a bishop of Smyrna “Polycarp.”
-Told to deny Christ by his Roman captors or he would be turned over to wild beast.
-He refused.
-Romans said, “we will burn you at the stake alive.”
-Polycarp replied, “You threaten me with fire, which burns for an hour and soon is extinguished. Future judgment burns for eternity.”
-Taken in the center of the arena and told, “deny Christ and we will let you live.”
-Polycarp replied, “Eighty-six years have I served Christ and He never once wronged me. How then shall I blaspheme my king who has saved me?”
-Killed in the arena that day.
