I was honored to preach this sermon at Living Hope Community Church on February 9, 2025.

The dictionary defines “faithful” as “loyal and steadfast”, “reliable”, “steadfast in allegiance”, “remaining true, constant, unwavering”.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?

-Psalm 8:3-4

The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.

–Psalm 19:1-2

What is this knowledge that the heavens declares? Consider, for a moment, the stars, the moon, and the planets. Set in their orbits by God, moving on the course that God ordained, at the speed God ordained, never changing.

Century after century, millennium after millennium, the heavenly bodies do not change. Such that, by observing the speed and orbit of a planet, we can calculate exactly where that planet will be at any moment, even a moment 100 years from now, and at that moment, it will be precisely there.

From time immemorial, humans have admired the perfection of the heavens. The phases of the moon, century after century, so faithful to happen on schedule, that you can mark your calendar by them. The rising and setting of the sun, so faithful to happen on schedule, that you can set your clock by it. The movements of the stars, so faithful to never change, that a ship can navigate across the ocean by them.

No planet ever decides “you know, I’ve been following the same orbit for thousands of years, but I’m feeling naughty today… might just veer off course, not sure.”

If they did, the heavens would be a chaotic place, endangering life on earth.

What is this speech that the heavens pour out? What is this knowledge that they impart?

Perhaps it is this message: that faithfulness to God’s will produces order, peace, and harmony. In contrast, disobedience to God’s will produces chaos, disorder, conflict, and strife.

Of course, planets are just large rocks. They don’t have a will of their own. They can’t choose to obey or disobey. They just move according to how God put them in motion, and that’s it.

We, on the other hand, are free will beings. Our earliest ancestors, Adam and Eve, had a choice to make in the Garden of Eden – a choice to be faithful to God, or not. Likewise, every human being thereafter has also faced that same choice. Our faithfulness to God’s design can produce – like the heavens – peace, order, and harmony. Or, our disobedience can produce chaos, disorder, and strife, and we’ve seen the effects of that throughout the earth.

Every human has faced this choice. Every human has been tempted to disobey God, and has had to make a free will choice, whether to be faithful or not.

Now, some think that Jesus was an exception to this rule. He wasn’t really tempted, was he?

Well, the Bible says in Hebrews 4:15, NASB:

…we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.

-Hebrews 4:15 NASB

In other words, Jesus faced all of the same temptations we face, yet, somehow, he remained faithful to his Father through all of them. So, do you think there is something we can learn from Jesus’ example? I think so. So let’s start at the beginning, the very first record where his faithfulness is manifest.

Luke chapter 2, beginning in verse 41. Now, in this record, Jesus is still a small child. He’s not even grown up yet. Yet, even early in his life, his unwavering faithfulness is evident.

Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents were unaware of this. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.

-Luke 2:41-45

Now, lest you think that Mary and Joseph were bad parents, let’s understand something about the historical context. Travel in the ancient world was extremely dangerous. There was constant threat of ambush from bandits. We see this in the parable of the Good Samaritan. There was the threat of wild animals, including poisonous snakes. And, although the Romans had improved the quality of roads by this time, road quality was still poor in many places, and the availability of inns or taverns was unpredictable. Travelers would sometimes need to sleep outside, possibly exposing them to storms or unpredictable weather.

So, there were many dangers in the ancient world. And for this reason, when going on a long journey, it was advisable to travel in a large group. There’s safety in numbers. So, in this case, there was a large group of pilgrims travelling together. And these folks aren’t strangers. They’re identified here as the friends and relatives of Mary and Joseph. So Mary and Joseph don’t need to keep eyes on the boy Jesus 24/7. He’s mingling throughout the group, and lots of other relatives and friends are watching him. So you can totally see a scenario happening, where it’s like, “Hey, have you seen Jesus?” “What? I thought he was with you?” “Huh? I thought he was with you!” And all of a sudden he’s missing, and they have to go back and find him.

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously looking for you.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them, and his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years and in divine and human favor.

-Luke 2:46-52

“I must be in my Father’s house.”

The King James Version says, “I must be about my Father’s business.”

Another translation says, “I must be doing the works of my Father.”

Jesus said in John 6:38, “I came… not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

Are you about the Father’s business?

Or are you so busy with your own schedule and your own appointment that you miss a divine appointment?

God is always working. He invites us to join him in his work. His business. Ask God to show you where he is working. He will. Ask God to give you the words to speak to others. He will.

See, God has work for you to do! Did you know the Christian life involves work? We don’t just hunker down and wait for Jesus to come back. There’s work to do!

We’re not saved by works, but we are saved for works.

…we are what he made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.

-Ephesians 2:10

As Christians, we don’t choose the works we do. God chooses. He already prepared the work ahead of time, and he invites you to join him in it. It’s his business. It’s not your business.

What is the work that God is doing, that he invites us to join him in?

Ultimately, God is at work in the world, to repair the world. God is working to repair the brokenness that our sin has caused in the world. The work won’t be completed until Christ returns. Nevertheless, God is working now, to advance his kingdom purposes now, bringing salvation, healing, hope, love, and peace to many.

Jesus’ life perfectly exemplifies this. Constantly, he would be on his way to a certain place, but then God would put someone in his path who needed help – who needed healing – and Jesus would stop what he was doing, and would minister to that person. He wasn’t so wrapped up in his own plans and his own schedule that he missed the opportunity. He was always tuned in to what his Father was doing, and joining his Father in his work.

Jesus said in John 5:30, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

And in John 8:28-29, Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.”

And in John 14:31, Jesus said, “I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.

Faithfulness.

What’s striking to me in these verses is the humility of Christ. Always glorifying the Father. Always exalting the Father and not himself.

Humility is the key to faithfulness. Without humility, you’re not gonna be faithful. Humility is required. It’s the starting point.

This is the first main point of my message, and probably the most important, so if you get one thing from my message today, get this:

The Christian life is not about you. It’s about God. It’s about the work that God is doing, and joining him in his work. We must be about our Father’s business. This requires humility.

There is perhaps no greater contrast in the Bible than the contrast between the disobedience and fall of Adam, and the faithfulness, humility, and obedience of the second Adam, Jesus Christ.

Both were tempted by Satan! One, went his own way. The other, was faithful to be about his Father’s business.

Turn a few pages forward to Luke chapter 4.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”

-Luke 4:1-4

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus adds these words: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

In John 4:34, Jesus says this: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.”

My food. Faithfulness to the Father is what sustained him.

Consider how powerful that is.

Faithfulness to his Father sustained him.

Continuing the story in Luke 4:5-8…

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ”

-Luke 4:5-8

Here is Jesus, born to be the king of kings, prophesied to be the ruler of the world forever, “the government shall be upon his shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6) “and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:33) but he knew he would first need to endure the cross, to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins, to bleed out, to suffer, to die, to give up everything to pay the price for our salvation. Jesus knew what he had to do. It was written in Isaiah 53. Jesus knew the cross came first, then the kingdom.

But here, the devil was offering to give Jesus the kingdom without the cross! How great this temptation must have been!

But Jesus remained faithful to the will of the Father. “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

Faithfulness.

Jesus resisted temptation. He defeated the devil. He stayed faithful to his Father.

Every. Single. Time.

Jesus’ life was an adventure of faithfulness.

Time after time, Jesus was faithful to whatever the Father wanted him to do.

He was faithful to be baptized to fulfill the law.

Faithful to turn water into wine.

Faithful to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to the woman at the well.

Faithful to preach the gospel of the kingdom throughout Galilee.

Faithful to heal the son of a royal official.

Faithful to teach in the synagogue.

Faithful to heal a lame man on the Sabbath.

Faithful to call 12 apostles.

Faithful to heal a demon possessed man.

Faithful to heal Peter’s mother in law.

Faithful to heal a leper.

Faithful to heal a paralytic.

Faithful to preach the Sermon on the Mount.

Faithful to heal a centurion’s servant.

Faithful to raise a widow’s son from the dead.

Faithful to heal a blind man.

Faithful to teach in parables.

Faithful to calm a storm.

Faithful to heal a man living among the tombs.

Faithful to heal a woman with an issue of blood.

Faithful to heal Jairus’ daughter.

Faithful to heal two blind men.

Faithful to feed five thousand people.

Faithful to walk on water.

Faithful to heal a Canaanite woman.

Faithful to heal a deaf man.

Faithful to feed four thousand people.

Faithful to perform the Transfiguration.

Faithful to refuse to destroy a Samaritan village when his disciples wanted to destroy it.

Faithful to send out the 70 to preach and teach.

Faithful to heal a woman with a crooked back.

Faithful to weep over Jerusalem.

Faithful to raise Lazarus from the dead.

Faithful to heal 10 lepers.

Faithful to welcome little children.

Faithful to dine with Zacchaeus.

Faithful to be anointed for burial.

Faithful to enter Jerusalem on a donkey.

Faithful to curse a fig tree.

Faithful to cleanse the temple and overturn the tables of the money changers.

Faithful to wash his disciples’ feet.

Faithful to institute communion.

Faithful to sing a hymn with his disciples.

Faithful to surrender to the Father’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Faithful to heal Malchus’ ear.

Faithful to endure the trials and beatings and mockery and crucifixion of his Passion.

Faithful to welcome the thief on the cross into the kingdom.

Faithful to forgive those who cruficied him.

Faithful to appear to Mary Magdalene in the garden.

Faithful to appear to two other disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Faithful to appear to the other apostles.

Faithful to encourage the doubting Thomas.

Faithful to reinstate Peter.

Faithful to give the Great Commission.

Faithful to ascend into heaven.

Faithful to you and me today, working in and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit, actively working as the head of the church, guiding, directing, teaching, and encouraging us day by day.

Faithful.

The life of Christ is a picture of perfect faithfulness.

And what an adventure the life of Christ is!

The Christian life is always an adventure.

What adventure could possibly be greater than joining God in work that has eternal significance – the salvation of someone’s soul?

There is no greater adventure than the Christian life.

Anyone who is faithful to join God in the work God is going, is bound for adventure.

Because, when you join God in his work, he takes you to surprising places.

I’m convinced that God has a sense of humor.

Sometimes, you can’t see what God is doing, but you’re faithful anyway, and then God reveals how he was working all along, and you just laugh. “Oh, God, that’s what you were doing! That’s why you put that person in my path! That’s why I had to go through that! I see it now!”

Such joy!

Humble yourself and go where God is leading. Trust him.

Jesus humbled himself, and was always faithful to the Father’s will.

…he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.

-Philippians 2:8b

Turn forward to Luke chapter 22.

He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done.”

-Luke 22:39-42

What is the “cup” Jesus speaks of? The “cup” represents his suffering, his death, his crucifixion. Jesus is saying, “God, if there’s any other way, if it’s at all possible, remove this cup…. BUT not my will, but yours be done.”

Faithfulness.

Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”

-Luke 22:43-46

The Christian life is an adventure. But the Christian life isn’t easy. It’s hard.

Faithfulness to God requires sacrifice.

For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ but of suffering for him as well.

-Philippians 1:29

Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

-1 Peter 5:8-9

Jesus didn’t promise that the Christian life would be easy. Actually, he promised that there would be suffering.

I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.

-John 16:33 CSB

When you’re faithful to God, there’s joy in the suffering.

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face various trials, consider it all joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance complete its work, so that you may be complete and whole, lacking in nothing.

-James 1:2-4

For our slight, momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure

-2 Corinthians 4:17

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.

-Romans 8:18

The Christian life has suffering. But there’s joy in the suffering.

Turn to 1 Peter 4, verses 12 through 16.

1 Peter 4 talks about suffering as a Christian, reassuring us that when we suffer for the sake of Christ, our suffering is not in vain. The disciples rejoiced when they suffered, because they knew that their faithfulness to God, even though there was suffering involved, was producing something of far greater value.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief maker. Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name. 

-1 Peter 4:12-16

In life, we suffer for various reasons.

If you’re suffering because of your own sin, I can’t help you.

If you’re suffering because you made mischief and it came back to bite you, I can’t help you.

But, if you’re suffering as a Christian – if you’re suffering because you are faithful to God’s will – I can assure you that your suffering is not in vain, but is producing something of far greater eternal significance, and ultimately, joy.

Turn to Hebrews 12.

I want to end with a very important passage of scripture that is, perhaps, the perfect summary of faithfulness.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

-Hebrews 12:1-3

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.

He endured the cross, and he didn’t care about the shame, because he knew his faithfulness to the Father was accomplishing something far greater.

Another translation says “he endured the cross, despising the shame.”

Jesus didn’t enjoy the cross. As a human being, he hated the pain of the cross, yet he endured it anyway. Why? For the joy set before him.

What was the joy set before him?

The joy of knowing that God would raise him from the dead and exalt him as king of kings, to rule the world forever?

Certainly, that promise brought joy.

But I think it was even more than that.

Jesus knew what the cross would accomplish for you and me, and that brought him joy.

Jesus imagined the millions of people throughout the ages who would be saved through the cross, and that brought him great joy!

For the sake of that joy, he endured the cross.

Sometimes, when we’re faithful to do what God has called us to do, we suffer. But even in the suffering, we can still have joy, because we know our faithfulness is accomplishing something greater.

“God, I’m being faithful to what you called me to do, and it’s hard, but I rejoice because if even one person can be saved as a result of my faithfulness, if one person can be healed, if one person can be blessed, it’s all worth it. Thank you, Father!”

God is at work in the world.

Are we faithful to join him in his work?

It won’t always be easy. But it will always be worth it.

Are we faithful to reach people God puts in our path with the gospel and with his love?

Or do we say, “ehhh… I’ll let someone else do it.”

“See I’m just not good at talking to people.”

“Timypaul – he has the gift of an evangelist! I don’t have the gift of an evangelist!”

Hold up a second.

Timypaul may have the gift of an evangelist. He may reach a lot of people with the gospel.

But there are people in my life that I can reach, that he can’t.

And there are people in his life, that he can reach, that I can’t.

And there are people in YOUR life, who YOU can reach, who we can’t!

One person might reach the world with the gospel.

Another person might reach one person.

But in God’s eyes, that one person means the world to God.

There is great rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents!

It’s not about how many people you reach. It’s about: Are you FAITHFUL to reach the people God puts in your path?

Remember, God is at work in the world. He invites us to join him in his work.

It’s a privilege to join God in his work.

He doesn’t need us to do the work. He’s God. He’s all powerful. He could snap his fingers and the work would be done.

He chooses to allow us to do the work because he loves us and wants a relationship with us.

God is like a father working on a project, and we are his children – just little children who want to help. The father helps the little boy hold the hammer, helps him hit the nail. The boy misses the nail. Okay, let’s try again. Like a loving and gentle father with a little child, that’s how God is with us.

We mess up. We miss the nail. God is patient, forgiving, gives us another chance. He could probably do the work better without us, but he doesn’t want to. He wants to involve us in his work, because he loves us, and wants a relationship with us.

That’s how God is with us. He’s always faithful to us. Are we faithful to him?