I will come back to our scripture in a few minutes – after we start with an illustration. Let’s say that you are a highly skilled college athlete. You could pick any sport and become a star player. After some consideration, you’ve chosen to play professional basketball. You are drafted by a really good team which is coached by one of the very best in the business. It looks like you and your teammates should win the championship at the end of your first season. Not only does your team have required, regular practices between games, but there are team rules. But since you picture yourself as the star of the team, you aren’t too concerned with keeping those rules. You break curfew; you skip conditioning drills, and you are late to practices. You eat all the wrong foods; you stay up all hours of the night playing video games; you even gamble. You are warned by the coach that if you continue to walk your own path there will be consequences. But no matter what fines the coach might apply, you are making so much money, it doesn’t matter.
And then one day, not long before the championship game, the coach and general manager confront you. They tell you that you have been suspended from the team. You will not play in the final game, and you will not be given a championship ring if your team wins. Your lack of faithfulness to the team and to the game has disqualified you from the ultimate victory.
There are natural results to the athlete coming from bad diet, little sleep, lack of exercise and missing practice. You will lose the skills you need and you might even lose your natural abilities. But there is another kind of result – the authoritative kind; perhaps the more painful kind. As an athlete you have lived your whole life picturing yourself with the championship ring on your finger. If you had been faithful to your responsibilities and to the rules, you would have had that ring. But your lack of faithfulness has cost you dearly, and you may never have that opportunity again.
As I said in our last lesson, I found eleven natural, Biblical results which flow from faithfulness to the Lord. And I jotted down a list of eleven blessings which God Himself bestows on those He deems to be faithful. This evening, I’m going to run through that second list before concentrating on what is said in our opening verse.
What are some of the divine blessings of faithfulness?
Perhaps this first should be last, and the last first – that is a Biblical principle. But at least one scripture makes a simple general, open-ended statement about “divine blessings.” By 1 Samuel 26 David had been avoiding King Saul for some time, but the two lines intersected at the hill called Hachilah. Saul bedded down for the night, leaving himself exposed to the attack of those he considered his enemies. But David forbade his men to murder the king, taking away his spear and water cruse, rather than his life. Later, from a distance, he called to Saul, displaying the evidence of his patience and forgiveness. When the king saw again that David meant him no harm, he replied, “I have sinned; return, my son David; for I will no more do thee harm… I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.” Then he added, “The LORD render to every man his RIGHTEOUSNESS and his FAITHFULNESS…” Jehovah did exactly that, blessing David for his faithfulness, and punishing Saul for his lack of faithfulness.
I doubt that Saul was considering the theology in his statement, but the Holy Spirit certainly did. Saul didn’t specify what sort of blessings God would bestow on David, because he didn’t know. The reward of God on people’s faithfulness is something to be left in God’s sovereign hands. No one is in a position to say, “Lord, I have been faithful in a few things, and now I want to be rewarded with these specific things – many things.” Brethren, we must be thankful for the strength and heart simply to be faithful, leaving the results to God.
In Numbers 12, Aaron and his sister were criticizing Moses for some non-ministerial things in his life. They were probably thinking about how they protected their brother as a child, and then how they suffered for twenty years, while he prospered under the wealth of the king’s palace. “And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it,” ordering all three to stand before Him at the door of the tabernacle. Then God said, what I hope that every saint of God might wish to hear the Lord to say about him or her: “My servant Moses… is FAITHFUL in all mine house.” If we hear it at all, we will hear those words at the Judgment Seat, but Moses heard it at Hazeroth during the midst of his ministry. The Lord knows those who are faithful to Him, and He will HONOR them in due season. Divine honor is one the blessings of early faithfulness to Him.
Nehemiah 9 might be misconstrued, if we let some people have their way, but it describes another of the divine blessings on faithfulness. Nehemiah was in prayer. He said as praise, “Thou art the LORD the God, who dids’t choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; And foundest his heart FAITHFUL before thee, and madest a covenant with him…” There is heresy in thinking that God made His unconditional, divine covenant with Abram because the man forced God to do so through his faithfulness. No, that covenant was made out of grace. But the fact remains that God made his covenant with his faithful servant. AND, if the Abraham had not been faithful, perhaps there wouldn’t have been that unconditional covenant.
Similarly, God’s covenant of SALVATION is not made with sinners who choose to become faithful to the Lord. Salvation is bestowed by grace on sinners – rebels – “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” But again, the fact remains that those whom the Lord saves will to some degree become faithful to Him. The question is: How faithful are we? The professing believer who is not making any attempt to honor and serve the Lord is most likely not one of God’s children.
Psalm 31:23 exhorts us – “O love the Lord, all ye his saints; for the Lord preserveth the FAITHFUL.” Many people in churches today sing, “O, how I LOVE Jesus: O, how I love JESUS.” But then while out in the world, living their lives, they sing, “O, how I love MYSELF; O, how I love my SIN.” When we are not faithful in holiness and service to the One who faithfully intercedes on our soul’s behalf, we are putting our physical lives in jeopardy. Why should the Lord preserve us? Why should He spare us? Faithfulness is a key to the simple, daily blessings of the Lord.
Paul’s epistles – to the Ephesians, to the Colossians, to Timothy – remind us of two more divine blessings. Paul wrote, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enable me, for that he counted me FAITHFUL, putting me into the ministry.” The ministry is a gift of God. It is a blessing which God gives to people who will handle it reasonably well. The power and success of the ministry comes from God, and only indirectly relates to the human skills of the minister. And the Lord is far more interested in the faithfulness of His servant, than He is in his native abilities. Think back again on those parables where the talents came from the Master’s hand, and all that was required of the stewards was faithfulness in their use.
In those same epistles there is reiterated a statement which I don’t know how forcefully to exhort. “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the FAITHFUL in Christ Jesus.” “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, to the saints and FAITHFUL brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” In his Second letter to Timothy, Paul said, “and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit unto FAITHFUL men, who shall be able to teach others also.” You may think I’m silly, but I’ll say it anyway – God didn’t send those letters to unfaithful men. Only those who are faithful to the Lord are in any way worthy of God’s gracious revelation and instruction. Are you faithful? To some degree I know you are, because here you are on a Wednesday evening.
Now, I’ll close with two scriptures from the Book of Revelation.
The first is found in the paragraph beginning in Revelation 2:8. “And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou FAITHFUL unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” This is another thought and scripture which might be twisted into a false gospel. But it is not saying that only martyrs, or people willing to be martyred will be given eternal life. This is no more speaking of salvation by death, than James 1:12 is speaking salvation by temptation. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
Among the other crowns which believers will be given at Christ’s Bema Judgment, there will be this wonderful “stephanos.” It is a victor’s crown, not a royal crown. And unlike the crowns won by ancient Olympic victors, this will not wither away. Like its name, it would last throughout eternity, if these humble victors didn’t actually return them to the Lord who gave them. I am not particularly looking forward to receiving this crown of life, but I am glad to hear of its existence. I am not hoping to be rewarded with death for trying to live for Christ, but it might happen nevertheless. But I do hope that the Lord will see me strive to be victorious over temptations and even over life itself. I trust that the Lord is aware that I love Him. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
Now we return to the verse with which we started. I interpret the Bible to teach that today’s saints will be removed from the earth just prior to the Tribulation. Looking at Revelation, we see churches in the first three chapters, but not after that. Rather, in Revelation 4 we see the Lord’s people in heaven, represented by the twenty-four elders sitting before their Saviour. At that time, the judgments of the seven years of Tribulation will begin – war, famine, disease, earthquakes, fires, unimaginable spiritual creatures, and so on. It will be horrible for those who are left on earth. The Antichrist will arise, and Babylon will be reestablished as the secular capital of the world. During that time 144,000 Jewish evangelists, filled with the Spirit of God, will be used of the Lord to lead multitudes to a saving knowledge of Christ. Most, if not all of them, will quickly be martyred.
Revelation 17 describes the rise of Mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth. She will be drunk with the blood of Christ’s martyrs, thinking it is then possible to rid the world of Jehovah. But that is something foolish man and defiant Satan will never do. Revelation 17:14 says, “These shall make war with the Lamb, BUT the Lamb shall over come them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings.” The victory in that great day will belong entirely to Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God. I don’t see where He is directing angelic troops to attack from one direction, while ordering glorified saints from another and saints upon the earth to attack from a third. The victory will be entirely His. It will be a glorious day for Him.
But I didn’t read all of Revelation 17:14 a moment ago. In its entirety it says, “These shall make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb shall over come them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and FAITHFUL.” Along with the Lord on that momentous day will be an army of others, observing and enjoying everything. I can’t describe their uniforms, if they have any at all, but I can describe their character: “called,” “chosen” and “faithful.” “Called and chosen” are words referring to God’s work of salvation – election and invitation. To that invitation, these particular people have responded with a hearty amen and an act of faith. Then following their reception of Christ by faith, there has been a life of faithfulness toward the Saviour.
There is enough mystery in this verse – there is so little explanation in this verse – that I am not going to make any bold declarations. But could it be that SOME of our Christian neighbors will be with the King of kings on this glorious day of victory while other believers are NOT? Could it be that only the truly FAITHFUL will be on the Lord’s team when He wins the championship?
Changing my opening illustration; turning it upside down or inside out or whatever. You and I are NOT the star players on the team. This is Christ’s team and Christ’s victory. And yet those who are faithful will be lesser members of the team. They will be rewarded. They will get the ring. They have been to the practices during their lives; they have disciplined their bodies; they have fought against temptation. And by the grace of God, they have been reasonably victorious. There is only one word used to describe them in this verse – “faithful.” This doesn’t mention their eloquence, their humility, their knowledge of Bible doctrine or anything else.
They that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful”– they have been saved and faithful to their Saviour. We don’t all have the same gift for gab that others might have. We may not have the grace and beauty that wins pageants or the strength to win Superbowls. We haven’t all been given the same number of talents. But with whatever talents we have been given, there isn’t one of us who shouldn’t be called “faithful” by the Lord who knows our hearts.
“Faithfulness” is something we can control. It is something we owe to the Lord who so faithfully met the needs of our sin and now faithfully intercedes on our behalf. And it is something which the Bible tells us God will reward. “The LORD (will) render to every man his RIGHTEOUSNESS and his FAITHFULNESS…” Maybe it will be at the Judgment Seat, and maybe it will be at the last battle. But our faithfulness to the Lord will bring about the Lord’s blessings. Don’t you want those blessings?