Strengthen Your Core Series

Faithfulness to God and Others

January 12, 2020

Pastor John Lloyd

Our physical bodies are made up of several core muscles. If kept in shape through exercise, they will function properly. God’s goal for followers is to make us more like Jesus. This happens when we think like Jesus, CORE beliefs, act like Jesus, CORE practices, and be like Jesus, CORE virtues. We need to exercise our CORE in order to glorify God. The journey of becoming like Jesus begins by thinking like Jesus. When we start thinking like Jesus, we are well on our way to becoming like Jesus. Today, we will consider the spiritual virtue of faithfulness. God is faithful! Through His faithfulness, we can be loyal and faithful to Him and in our relationships. We pray that we can grow in the virtue of faithfulness.

2 Timothy 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.

Memory Verses: Proverbs 3:3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Key Question: Why is it important to be loyal and committed to others?

Key Idea: I have established a good name with God and others based on my loyalty to those relationships.

I. Remember the powerful __________ of God’s faithfulness!

2 Timothy 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel.

Remember- remember and keep on remembering….

I Corinthians 15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

Psalm 36:5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

I remember your great faithfulness to me.

I remember your death, burial and resurrection!

II. Our faithfulness to God and others will face difficult ________________.

2 Timothy 2:9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (see 2 Timothy 4:16-17, Philippians 1:12-14)

God’s work and word cannot be bound or stopped. Kenneth Wuest

Endure- Paul endures precisely because of a certainty that through his ministry God will save some. ESV Study Bible. “Hold your ground”

“God has not promised skies always blue, flower strewn pathways all of our lives through; God has not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, and peace without pain. But God has promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way, grace for trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy and undying love.” Annie Johnson Flint

Proverbs 3:3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Psalm 119:90

Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (Matthew 6:33, Hebrews 12:2)

“Let your heart be wholly devoted to the Lord our God.” I Kings 8:61

Remember to be faithful in your relationship with God. I John 4:19

God will see it even if no one else does. Genesis 31:50 NLT

Greatly value each person in your life. Philippians 2:3

Ask God to help you share in their trials. Ezekiel 3:15

Reflective questions: What can I do to develop a better willingness to be loyal and maintain a commitment to people? What blocks loyalty from working and being exhibited in me. How can I make loyalty function better, stronger and faster even in times of uncertainty?

Remember the great power of the Word of God cannot be stopped!

I choose to be loyal to God and others.

Psalm 36:5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

I remember your great faithfulness to me.

I remember your death, burial and resurrection!

II. Our faithfulness to God and others will face difficult ________________.

God’s work and word cannot be bound or stopped. Kenneth Wuest

Endure- Paul endures precisely because of a certainty that through his ministry God will save some. ESV Study Bible. “Hold your ground”

Proverbs 3:3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Psalm 119:90

Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (Matthew 6:33, Hebrews 12:2)

“Let your heart be wholly devoted to the Lord our God.” I Kings 8:61

Remember to be faithful in your relationship with God. I John 4:19

God will see it even if no one else does. Genesis 31:50 NLT

Greatly value each person in your life. Philippians 2:3

Ask God to help you share in their trials. Ezekiel 3:15

Remember the great power of the Word of God cannot be stopped!

I choose to be loyal to God and others.

III. I can be faithful to God and others because of His great _________________ to me.

2 Timothy 2:11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.

I can hold my ground during the most difficult times because Christ held his ground for me.

Those who endure will be his co-reigning viceroys and confidants. If we lapse into unfaithfulness, he remains faithful, as Jesus did during the temporary denial by Peter, (cf. John 21:15-19). Kent Hughes

God is faithful even when his children are not. Max Lucado

Proverbs 3:3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. (See Proverbs 3:5-6)

I Thessalonians 5:24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Lamentations 3:22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It is important to understand that being faithful to God is never about meeting a requirement to keep our relationship with him, but rather it’s about responding to God out of love and devotion for what Christ has done for us. We choose to remain in him, not out of obligation, but out of desire. Faithfulness must be a priority, no matter who is watching us. When we are alone or in a crowd, we’re faithful; in good times or bad, we’re faithful; when confident or in doubt, we’re faithful. If we truly want to influence people for Christ, then being faithful has to be more than a desirable quality; it must become a lifestyle. Randy Frazee

Think, Act, Be Like Jesus

I choose to be faithful in my relationship with God.

I choose to be faithful in my relationships with others.

Spiritual Growth Questions for January 12, 2020

(take one question each day and grow deeper in Bible study)

Use a scale of 1-6 to rate how fully your life is demonstrating the statements below: (1= does not demonstrate at all, 6 demonstrates fully)

___ I take unpopular stands when my faith dictates.

___ I discipline my thoughts based on my faith in Jesus Christ.

___ I will follow Christ even when it involves suffering.

___ I will follow through on commitments I have made to God.

1. What do you think is the root or cause of unfaithfulness toward God and others?

2. Read Deuteronomy 32:1-4, Psalm 36:5-9, Lamentations 3:19-24. Read once with the group and once on your own. What stands out to you about the faithfulness of God and man’s unfaithfulness?

3. Read Proverbs 3:1-6, 20:6, 28:20. Why is a faithful person richly blessed and one who is eager, to be rich punished?

4. Read II Timothy 2:1-13. Paul is writing from prison to Timothy his young disciple. What illustrations does Paul use to encourage faithfulness? What stands out to you as something that would help Timothy remain faithful to God and his calling during trials?

5. Read Psalm 98:1-3. How has God made known to you His faithfulness? Share with the group, or a friend how, he has been faithful to you this past year?

6. In a world filled with unfaithfulness, how can we find inspirational examples of faithfulness? In your opinion what motivates genuine faithfulness to God? Write a prayer for your life and faithfulness to God and to those relationships God has brought into your life. Share with a friend.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father! There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not: As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Thomas Chisholm

Memory Verses: Proverbs 3:3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Sermon Podcast

John Lloyd - Fathfulness to God and Others

Dolores Park Church