"FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH"
How many of you like “Reality TV”? Real people doing real things. The camera catches it all. One of the keys to understanding the Bible is this. The Bible always tells the truth. And oftentimes the truth is not what we’d like to know or hear. Yet, every Bible story contains the facts history. And according to Jesus “you shall know the truth and the truth will make you free.”
Today’s Bible lesson is a true story. And, although it isn’t very pretty, the story is here for our benefit and our spiritual growth. And, I’m sure, by now, you realize that the stories in the book of II Samuel are two things: unfamiliar territory and surprisingly real. As you know, when we come to stand before the LORD, our lives are going to be weighed and measured – by at least one very significant measuring stick – faithfulness.
You see, if the standard is faithfulness, then everyone everywhere is on equal footing. For example, if you have had little by way of talent or ability or even economic security, you’ll be judged for the little you have. If you’ve had much, you’ll be judged for the much you were given as to how you used it.
Here’s how Jesus put it. Luke 16:10 “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. (11) If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon (property, earthly goods, gain, anything of value), who will commit to your trust the true riches? (12) And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?” So, yes, we will be judged by our faithfulness.
Today’s topic from the Bible is faithfulness. The title for today’s sermon is “Faithful Unto Death.”
Here’s where the idea for my title came from. Revelation 2:10 “... be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
Now, generally, when we read the phrase “faithful unto death,” we think about the Christian Martyrs; men and women and children who remained true to Christ in the face of persecution right up until they died. And, obviously whoever is faithful to the LORD right up to the end of their lives, is a Christian martyr. Yet, here’s where I’d like to begin today. The real test of faithfulness isn’t on the last day of our lives. Rather, the real test is today. You can ask yourself the question, “Will I be faithful to the LORD today?” So, let’s consider a man who was faithful today. His name is David. Please turn with me to II Samuel chapter four.
Please look with me at II Samuel 4:1. “And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.”
Do you recall who Saul’s son is? It’s the man who was declared king by a man named Abner. He’s king over the nation of Israel – the ten northern tribes. His name is Ishbosheth. King Ishbosheth hears about the death of his military General, Abner. And II Samuel 4:1 is Ishbosheth’s response to the news.
1. His hands were feeble. Feeble doesn’t mean what we might think in our modern English world. Today, we’d say an elderly man who walked with a cane and shook a bit was feeble. But in the days of David and Ishbosheth, “feeble” meant something more. It comes from a word meaning “to lose heart and to become disheartened” “to cause the hands to hang down.” The verb is “enfeeble.” That’s sometimes what happens when hear some news that quote “puts a scare into our hearts.”
2. All the Israelites were troubled. “Troubled” is a word that is more in line with the one we use in our modern English. It means “dismayed and terrified.” Now the reason for their being so disheartened and terrified is this. Ishbosheth had been a sort of “puppet king” with General Abner pulling the strings. Now the puppet master has died. Ishbosheth sees his time is short and, it’s very obvious that the Israelites don’t really have much of a leader.
Today’s Bible lesson is a true story. And, although it isn’t very pretty, the story is here for our benefit and our spiritual growth. And, I’m sure, by now, you realize that the stories in the book of II Samuel are two things: unfamiliar territory and surprisingly real. As you know, when we come to stand before the LORD, our lives are going to be weighed and measured – by at least one very significant measuring stick – faithfulness.
You see, if the standard is faithfulness, then everyone everywhere is on equal footing. For example, if you have had little by way of talent or ability or even economic security, you’ll be judged for the little you have. If you’ve had much, you’ll be judged for the much you were given as to how you used it.
Here’s how Jesus put it. Luke 16:10 “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. (11) If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon (property, earthly goods, gain, anything of value), who will commit to your trust the true riches? (12) And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?” So, yes, we will be judged by our faithfulness.
Today’s topic from the Bible is faithfulness. The title for today’s sermon is “Faithful Unto Death.”
Here’s where the idea for my title came from. Revelation 2:10 “... be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
Now, generally, when we read the phrase “faithful unto death,” we think about the Christian Martyrs; men and women and children who remained true to Christ in the face of persecution right up until they died. And, obviously whoever is faithful to the LORD right up to the end of their lives, is a Christian martyr. Yet, here’s where I’d like to begin today. The real test of faithfulness isn’t on the last day of our lives. Rather, the real test is today. You can ask yourself the question, “Will I be faithful to the LORD today?” So, let’s consider a man who was faithful today. His name is David. Please turn with me to II Samuel chapter four.
Please look with me at II Samuel 4:1. “And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.”
Do you recall who Saul’s son is? It’s the man who was declared king by a man named Abner. He’s king over the nation of Israel – the ten northern tribes. His name is Ishbosheth. King Ishbosheth hears about the death of his military General, Abner. And II Samuel 4:1 is Ishbosheth’s response to the news.
1. His hands were feeble. Feeble doesn’t mean what we might think in our modern English world. Today, we’d say an elderly man who walked with a cane and shook a bit was feeble. But in the days of David and Ishbosheth, “feeble” meant something more. It comes from a word meaning “to lose heart and to become disheartened” “to cause the hands to hang down.” The verb is “enfeeble.” That’s sometimes what happens when hear some news that quote “puts a scare into our hearts.”
2. All the Israelites were troubled. “Troubled” is a word that is more in line with the one we use in our modern English. It means “dismayed and terrified.” Now the reason for their being so disheartened and terrified is this. Ishbosheth had been a sort of “puppet king” with General Abner pulling the strings. Now the puppet master has died. Ishbosheth sees his time is short and, it’s very obvious that the Israelites don’t really have much of a leader.
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