The Faithful

They're called the called, chosen, and faithful. Those three words are the descriptors of those who will stand firm with Christ at His return and in this age. The called of God, as we reviewed, are those to whom He extends an invitation to His kingdom, to be part of His holy family. Few recognize the gospel message as an invitation, and fewer still respond to that invitation in a manner that is suitable to the one who is issuing it or extending it.

But that response is very, very important to God. It establishes who the chosen are of God. The chosen of God are those who respond to this invitation into His kingdom, like Isaiah 66, verses 1 and 2 says, with a contrite heart and who tremble at His word. The elect, the chosen, have a hope that only can be harbored in a heart that is humbled before Him, humbled in spirit, poor in spirit. We read that in Ephesians 1, verse 18, and Ephesians 4, verse 4, they also have a walk, a way of living, that can only be learned by those who deeply respect and obey God's Word.

They tremble before His Word. We read that Ephesians 4, verses 1 through 3. Today, we will examine the third in that phrase, the call chosen and faithful. We'll examine what it means to be faithful. Those who have been called and chosen will only be with Christ at His return if they remain faithful in this age. See, God must be sure of those He chooses.

Just because one is called and responds to that calling, and just because God chooses them and places them in the elect, doesn't guarantee their place in His kingdom or at Christ's sight at His return. The Greek word translated faithful in Revelation 17, verse 14, is pistos, p-i-s-t-o-s, which means to be true or trustworthy, credible, sure, certain, reliable, true of heart. It describes one that has shown himself to be worthy of another's confidence. Its root word in the Greek is pietho, or pietho, p-e-i-t-h-o, pietho, which means to persuade someone, to endeavor to influence or convince another.

The lives of the elect, those God has called and chosen, must persuade God that they can be trusted, that they can be reliable. That's what it means to be faithful in this age. We know that God is faithful. He must see that we are to Him. Now many see this as an attempt to earn salvation. It is not. You know, I'm trying to think of a number of analogies through my life in the church, 35 years as a parent of 22-23 years. I see a lot.

I learned so much about God in His ways by His design for the family. It took me a while to learn as a parent that I should not give my children trust in the hope of making them responsible. It doesn't work that way. If they receive trust without showing themselves responsible, they will never learn to be responsible. Responsibility must be shown by them before trust can be given to them.

Now that's not well thought of in this age of bad parenting, but it's a truth. And this is for their sake, not ours. They will never learn to be responsible if trust is simply handed to them before they've had an opportunity to do that. Now certainly there are stages of that. You give them little things to learn, little things to do, and if they are faithful in that, you extend them little trust, and it builds over time.

And God does the same thing with us. As in Matthew 25, He gives us the parable of the talents, how He handed out a certain amount of talents to His servants. Only those who have been faithful over a few things or things that are small or little will be able to rule over many things, is what He says more than once in that parable. And this is how God rears His children. It should also be how we rear ours to the glory and honor of His name.

Now the lives of those gifted with His Spirit and Word, this is the elect, reveal a loyalty to God and to His way of life. Look at Hebrews 6 here. Hebrews 6 will read verses 1 through 6. We've been here quite a bit in the past few years. We tend to assume in our culture that everyone who's elected takes office unless something serious happens. They die, or they get sick, or they resign, or something like that.

But the elect that God chooses are not chosen the same way as we do in our political process. In the end of chapter 5 verses 12 through 14, Paul is showing the Hebrews here, I believe Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, and many do, that they were not stretching beyond simply the oracles of God, and to a great degree because they weren't, they were losing the oracles of God.

We just had a discussion after our Bible study here about how we need to be stretching. One of the final comments in that study was that God is love, and we need to be on a path to becoming love as God is love.

Well, that's so far beyond simply Sabbath-keeping, holy daykeeping, and so on. It doesn't exclude them, it absolutely includes them, but if we don't build on those basic building blocks or the fundamental beliefs that we're discussing in these Bible studies and move toward being like God in spirit and truth in His very loving nature that includes all those aspects of joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, and so on, we're not progressing.

He was addressing this here at the beginning of chapter 6 in verse 1. He states this, we've got to move beyond these basics, therefore leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, doctrine of baptisms, of laying out of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

We've discussed these many times, and we show how they bridge, how they provide a foundation for moving forward in becoming love is God is love. Verse 3 says, and this we will do if God permits. It's all His direction, His leadership, His providence. Verse 4, for it is impossible for those who are once enlightened.

Notice this description of the elect, enlightened. They understand things, they see things, Godly wisdom, Godly knowledge, a certain sense of understanding that is only imparted by His Spirit. That means we must progress. We can't just stay in this physical application of what we see as the the rudimentary fundamental things that we do in the faith. And have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, God's very divine nature. Partakers means it's within us.

We have ingested it. That resides within us, and it won't stay there. It needs an outlet. You can't bottle up love. It's outgoing by definition. Partakers of His Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the age to come. It's a great description of the elect. But now listen. If they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, in other words, it's impossible to do this, he said in verse 4, they cannot be renewed to repentance, which is the start of the whole process, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Put Him to an open shame. You see, not all who are elected will assume office in the kingdom of God. And this is a sobering concept for those who have been elected or chosen. That's what makes this so serious. Those who forsake the elementary principles of Christianity will not overcome their faults in this age, but those who don't progress beyond them will as well. There's certain aspects of this age which we must see have to be overcome.

Look at Revelation 21. Revelation 21 verses 7 and 8. Revelation 21 verse 7, He who overcomes shall inherit all things. Overcoming is something that defines the elect in this age. Well, overcoming what? He who overcomes shall inherit all things. I will be his God and he shall be my son. We will be members of his family forever. Here's what needs to be overcome. Verse 8, But the cowardly those who are fear-based in their faith, rather than love-based, they work in opposites of one another.

Unbelieving, in other words, unfaithful, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. This death must occur. It is for all those who refuse to progress, who refuse to embrace God's loving nature, who refuse to move forward, who get comfortable, who get sedentary. This is what I've always done. This is what I always will do, and they will not progress beyond those fundamentals like Paul talked about.

Look at the verse 27 here. Let's talk in here between what we just read in verse 27 about the coming of the New Jerusalem. It's described as the Bride of Christ coming down. Verse 27, But theirs shall by no means enter anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. The book of life. This is also mentioned in Revelation 3 and verse 5 to the church at Sardis, that he who overcomes will be written in the book of life.

There are a number of places elsewhere this is used. Let me just read to you here from Barnes Notes, a quote, The book which contains the names of those who are to live with him forever. This is the book of life. God enters those names into the book of life, those who will live with him forever. Continuing on with a quote, the phrase book of life frequently occurs in the Bible representing this idea.

I'll just give you the scriptures that Barnes Notes quotes. Philippians 4 and verse 3. Revelation 15.3, 17.8, 20 verses 12 and 15, and 22 verse 19. Again, Philippians 4.3, Revelation 15.3, Revelation 17.8, Revelation 20 verses 12 and 15, and Revelation 22 verse 19. Continuing on with a quote, the expression, I will not blot out, means that the names would be found there on the great day of final account and would be found there forever.

And for this reason, God must be sure his elect are faithful. They are loyal to him. And in this age, that loyalty will be tested. Who are the faithful? Who are those who remain faithful to God? We have a number of examples throughout scripture. Many are condensed in Hebrews 11. I'll just pull out a few here and we'll review what made them faithful.

And if we were to summarize these three, we'll look at Abraham, Moses, and Christ himself. These are those who live worthy of God's trust. Ask yourself as we go through these, are you living worthy of God's trust? These are those who reliably endure performing what God entrusts to them. God gives you something to do.

Do you do it? I pray every day, help me to do my job. And I don't just mean your pastor. As a Christian, we have certain things that God entrusts us to do, a certain way we're supposed to live. I ask him to help me to do that.

I'm sure we all do, because he seemed beyond us. These are godly ways of living that we fall incredibly short on, but we must always be on the path to try to develop. That's that path of perfection. Look at Hebrews 11 here. Look at Abraham. Hebrews 11 verses 8 through 19. It talks here about what he did, not just what he believed, but what he did.

And James touches on this as well, that it wasn't just the fact that he believed God, but he believed God and did what he said. Therefore, it was accounted to him for righteousness. But how did God know this in him? He had to be tested. Abraham had to be tested. He left his country. He willingly offered his son Isaac. In Genesis 22 and verse 12, Genesis 22 to 12, that's when he says this is right after he just about offered his son and a sacrifice to God until God stopped him. That's when God says, now I know.

Now I know. It applies he wouldn't have known otherwise. We all have free moral agency. God needs to know that we have chosen to choose as he does, to live as he does, to love as he does, and to obey him in everything. He's got to see that in us. That's what the testing in this age is all about.

Hebrews 11 verses 8 through 19. By faith, pistis, related to pistos, belief in God enough to act on what he says. Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place in which he would receive as an inheritance. Notice, he believed, then he obeyed. He was called by God to go out to the place and then he went. And he went out not knowing where he was going.

Verse 9, by faith, belief, he dwelt in the land of promise, as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, and the heirs of or with him of the same promise. He waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith, Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed. She bore a child that was past the age because she trusted him who had promised, trusted him faithful who had promised. Therefore, from one man and him as good as dead were born many as the stars of the sky and multitude, innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

All these died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. This was Abraham's life by living in tents. Every day was a confession he believed and understood he was a pilgrim, a stranger.

For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland, as did he. Our faith is in what is to come, not in what we are going through in this age. Paul said, if we have Christ only in this age, we are all men most miserable. Will God bless us in this age? Yes, but if that is the extent of our relationship with God, we're going nowhere. I don't care what kind of house we live in, we need to see it as a tent.

I don't care how fit and well our bodies are. We need to see them, as Peter described them, a tent. They house something that will live forever, something that is beyond what we can see, touch, taste, smell here. It's a spiritual sense that we must be cultivating. Verse 15, that truly if they had called to mind that country which they had come out, they would have had the opportunity to return. Now he's referring here to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in that respect.

But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country, therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, notice he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who would receive the promises offered his only begotten son, of whom it is said, in Isaac your seed shall be called, concluding that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Abraham knew, based upon the promises of God, his trust in God, that God would resurrect his son because he said it would be by Isaac that the seed would come. He knew it, and his actions showed that. Now we're not going to be asked to offer our children in sacrifice, but we're going to be asked to do other things, face other things, be tested in other ways, but we trust God enough to believe in that same promise and act upon it.

Abraham left his country, he offered his son, and all through that is how God said he knew him. Look at Romans chapter 4 here. Paul here is also discussing Abraham. This is one of the reasons Martin Luther did not like the book of James, because James connects works to faith. Has to be. Belief in and of itself is not enough.

There has to be an effort on the part of individuals in this age who do truly believe and are faithful to do what God says. The book of Hebrews 11 is a chapter, it's replete with individuals who were told something by God, believed enough to do something. And this is what we are told to do is obey him.

Look at verses 1 through 3 first. We'll read through verses 22. It's a huge section here that we need to understand. Romans 4 verses 1 through 3. What then shall we say that Abraham our father was found according to the flesh? I'm sorry, let me read that again. What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?

For if Abraham was justified by works as he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does this scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now if we stop right there, each of us should be able to explain what is said here. What is justification? It's not salvation. Justification is being absolved of past sins. And what is Paul saying here? And as he goes into this discussion that no amount of law-keeping from this point forward, if we decide right now, I am not going to sin anymore and I'm going to keep the law as perfectly as I can going forward, that will not absolve our past sins.

That's justification. So Abraham was not justified based upon what he did. His past sins were not removed as a result of what he did, as a result of keeping the law. It doesn't throw away the law, but that's what much of Christianity thinks.

Abraham in no way earned forgiveness for his past sins. He was justified by God because he showed that he trusted in God enough to do what God says on a number of occasions, and especially in the offering of Sir Isaac. For this God imparted righteousness to him. It's all that's needed. When God sees an individual who is called and chosen, one of his elect who is striving to be faithful, he imparts righteousness to them.

And there are a whole host of rewards that come with that. We'll talk about those a bit later. Let's read verses 4 through 13 now. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. Again, salvation is God's gift through Jesus Christ. But to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

Just as David also described the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. This is Psalm 32. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only or upon the uncircumcised also?

For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted while he was circumcised or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised but uncircumcised. And he received the sign of the circumcision, the seal of righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe the faithful, the father of the faithful. Though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also.

And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision but who also walk in the steps of the faith by which our father Abraham had while uncircumcised. For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

This phrase, the righteousness of faith, is an interesting phrase. That righteousness is imparted by God to all those who do what God entrusts them to do. These are the faithful. These are the seed of Abraham, the father of the faithful. Now by no means does that faith do away with obeying God's law. That makes no sense. If the sin that we committed made us a need, the sin, the violation of God's law, made us a need of being forgiven, God imparting his righteousness to us, how can we go forward at that point continuing to ignore his law and continuing to sin?

That makes no sense. That's a false idea. It's a false idea that our past sins can be forgiven by forthcoming obedience as well. Oh boy, I see that I made a mistake there. Okay, well, I can move forward and all that obedience I have going forward will wipe out all the sins that I committed prior.

No! In fact, if we looked at it truthfully, we would recognize that we are agents of sin and we will continue to stumble and struggle as we move forward and we will always need God's repentance in the flesh, God's forgiveness. He imparts those to us. Look at verses 14 through 22 now.

For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is made of no effect because the law brings about wrath. For where there is no law, there is no transgression. Therefore, it is of faith that it might be accordance to grace so that the promise might be sure to all the mercy, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the Father of us all.

If we could earn this on our own, there will be no need for Christ, for God's absolution. Keeping the law does not earn us salvation. It doesn't justify our past sins, but we recognize we need to keep it going forward. It needs to be what we do to strive for perfection. It's what the faithful do. It's what the loyal to God do. Verse 17, as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations in the presence of him of him whom he believed God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.

Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed so that he became the father of many nations according to what was spoken, so shall your descendants be. And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body already dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarazum, he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that he had promised, beg h, he, God had promised, God was also able to perform, and therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Those who are convinced that God will perform all that he promises will live according to those promises. They will live up to those promises. They will see them as goals to achieve, goals that God will enable them to achieve. We all look forward to the day when we will be incapable of sin forever. God promises us that.

Spirit bodies that won't stumble as we stumble in the flesh. Abraham was called the father of the faithful for that reason. Let's look at Moses here for a moment. He's certainly mentioned here in Hebrews. We'll come back, but let's go back to Numbers 12. You remember that Numbers 12 is where God was kind of correcting Aaron and Miriam for calling Moses out for a choice he had made in marriage to marry what they called an Ethiopian. They were, for one reason or another, upset about it and thought that they had the ability to judge him, to condemn him or criticize him for what he did.

God was now stepping in and correcting them. We'll read that whole account. Let's go to Numbers 12. We'll read verses 1 through 7. Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman which he had married. For he had married an Ethiopian woman. This is probably a reference, if you look at the Hebrew here, to the Midianite woman Zephora that he married. Verse 2, so they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?

And the Lord heard it. Now he's responding. Verse 3, Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all the men who were on the face of the earth, meekest man on the face of the earth at the time. Verse 4, Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting. So the three came out. Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacany called Aaron and Miriam, and they both went forward. Then he said, Hear now my words. If there was a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision.

I speak to him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses, but a privilege it is to be God's servant, to be called by God his servant. He says, He is faithful in all my house, considered in part of his household, and was calling him out as faithful, loyal, true, someone he could trust. Verse 8, I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings.

Does he not do this with us, brethren? I mean, we may not have seen his form and shape like Moses did, but don't we speak to him face to face as his loyal, his faithful, or at least striving to be so, his elect, striving to be so? When you hit your knees in prayer, do you recognize you're speaking to your Heavenly Father on his throne?

He sees every aspect of our hearts. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, not in dark sayings. He speaks to us the same way as we read and study the Scriptures on our own, as he teaches us from this lectern every week, or in every aspect of how he has taught us in this age, whether we're hearing it, whether we're reading it ourselves.

There's a clarity in our thinking, a recognition others don't have, that he is imparted to us as our Heavenly Father, even plainly, and not in dark sayings. And he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? We live in a culture that allows us the opportunity to speak against those who lead us.

That doesn't work in the family of God. That's not the way he operates. And we need to see a clear difference between the two. Because how we live in this age will determine whether or not we are the faithful to live in the next.

If we think it's okay to disparage those gods put an authority in this age, what makes us think we'll change as soon as we become spirit beings? We have to learn this in the flesh now. This is part of learning to be the faithful. Regardless of what someone an authority does over us, it may hurt us, it may depress us, we may disagree, it might confuse us, but we trust God.

I had this conversation before with even ministry. Someone once told me, I was telling him because he was all upset at what was happening, he was considering leaving the church. In fact, he was already planning leaving.

And he, I said, listen, I said David was having spears thrown at him by Saul, but David did not pick up a sword, did anything to attack or disparage God's anointed, which he called Saul, the person appointed in that position. The minister's response to me was, Brian, we are no longer under a king. And I said, I addressed him by name, and I said, we most certainly are, and his name is Jesus Christ. And I thought, well, if that's your idea, you're no longer under a king. That's your choice, but I am under the king.

If you believe he's the head of the church, what are we fretting about? He's allowed this stuff to happen for millennia. What makes us think we need to take things into our own hands is Miriam and Aaron tried to do here. God does not take well to that. God described Moses as faithful in all my house.

Can he apply that to us? Is that a phrase that would fit well with you? Are you faithful in all of God's house? God spoke openly with him face to face. Moses saw the very form of God, and God would not allow anyone to speak against him. Will we follow that? Look at Hebrews 3 here. Moses was a foretype of Christ. He made mention of that in Deuteronomy. God said that he would raise up someone like him in reference to Jesus Christ. Hebrews 3, verses 1 through 6, it says again here that Moses was God's faithful servant. The reason he says that is because Moses spoke all that God commanded him to speak.

Moses had his faults, his difficulties, as do we all, but God still saw him as loyal and faithful. Therefore, holy brethren, this is Hebrews 3, verse 1, therefore holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him, who appointed him, his Father, his Lord, our heavenly Father, appointed him, and Christ was faithful.

We'll talk about that even more in a moment. As Moses also was faithful in all his house. Same approach, same mindset. You're gonna be faithful, you speak all that God gives you to speak. You endure in doing everything that God has entrusted to you. We'll talk about what those are in a moment. Verse 3, for this one has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses in so much as he who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house, God's house, as a servant for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward.

But Christ as a son over his own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of hope firm to the end. When does that end? Christ's return, establishment of his kingdom. It's also the beginning. For each of us, it'll end with our last heartbeat, last breath, close of the eyes, but our next waking thought will be Christ's return. And if we have been faithful, we'll be at his side. Moses was God's faithful servant.

He spoke all that God commanded him. In this he was a foretype of the faithfulness of Christ. I'll just give you these references now with respect to Jesus, the consummate example of faithful. In John 6 verse 38, John 6 38, Christ said, For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This battling of the will should be something that goes on within our own human hearts as well.

Are we doing what God wants us to do, or are we doing what we want to do? And are we rightly discerning that in our own thought process? There's nothing wrong with pursuing something, a job, a career, a hobby, whatever, but it must fit within the will of God for us if we are to be faithful. In John 8 verse 29, Christ said, I always do those things that please him, his Father. Do we always do the things that please him, as did Christ? It's a description of the faithful.

In John 10 verse 25, John 10 25, he said, The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me, that he was sent by his Father. Can we say that about our works, that the works that we do bear witness of us, that God lives within us, that we are led by his Holy Spirit, that we are seeking to become love as he is love, that the most important thing on our minds is in anything that happens to us in this age, but where we end up at Christ's side, at his return, that's all that matters.

Everything else needs to be brought into subjection. John 17 14, on John 17 14, he said, I have glorified you on the earth. We glorifying God, or are we glorifying ourselves?

Or even that, in respect, are we glorifying the church, which is, in essence, ourselves. The church's job is to glorify God, to be a help me, to help fit for Christ at his return, to develop the mindset and the character actually to actually live as one who marries into the family of God.

He said in that verse, John 17 4, he also said, I have finished the work which you have given me to do. Jesus Christ was faithfully performing all that God entrusted him to do. That's what made him faithful. And our Heavenly Father confirmed this in Matthew 17 5. Matthew 17 is the description of the transfiguration. When Peter stood up and started talking, wow, this is great! You know Moses and Elijah and Christ, and this is awesome. Let's build some booths here. God thundered from heaven.

He confirmed during this transformation Jesus' faithfulness. He said, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And as those who tremble at his word, they hit their faces. They fell to their faces, as we would. Now, this is what was entrusted to Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

And this is why they were described as faithful in his house. What has been entrusted to us? What has God entrusted to us? Look at 1 Thessalonians 1 here. 1 Thessalonians 1 verses 2 through 10 we'll read. This is a synopsis of what has been given to us, this privilege that comes with a responsibility. This accountability that we have to live faithfully.

Look how often faith is mentioned. And look how often two other concepts are mentioned here. His word and his spirit. Treasures, gifts beyond any human value. Verse 1, 1 verse 2, we give thanks to God always for you, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith. For those who say that faith doesn't have works, there it is again. Faith absolutely has a work. A labor of love, Paul describes it.

And patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father. Knowing beloved brethren, your election by God, these are individuals who believe that as a result responding to that calling, recognizing the invitation that was in that calling, the gospel of the kingdom, now responding, as we talked about, a contrite heart, those who tremble at his word, now God has placed them into the elect, his chosen ones. Your election by God, verse 5, for our gospel did not come to you in word only.

It certainly did come in word, and it was understood in word, preached, read, taught, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit. Those two great gifts which are privileges to have, but also responsibilities. God does not give these kinds of gifts in vain. His word and his very nature, his gift, his power, his spirit. And in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake, and you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit.

The word itself is valuable in and of itself, but to be applied and lived, to be ingested within us, to become part of us, the Holy Spirit is required. And in much affliction, oftentimes it's only in our afflictions that we reach down deeply and see what's truly important. Oftentimes in comfort and in wealth and prosperity and the joys of this age, we miss out on the joys of the next. We don't recognize how the affliction enables us to ingrain the word within us by the power of his spirit and his nature within us.

That's how we see it. That's how people, when they suffer in the church and they talk about that when we see their suffering from the outside and we go, wow, that's terrible, it's horrible. How can God be letting this happen? You talk to the faithful who are going through this and they talk about it as a blessing. How much they're learning. How much they're now coming to understand. What a joy God has been to them.

I don't know why it takes the affliction. I don't know why it takes the pain, but there's something about our human nature that does that to us. With joy of the Holy Spirit. Verse 7, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. Now, other believers are seeing the walk God expects of them in word and in spirit. Verse 8, for from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place.

Your faith toward God has gone out so that we do not need to say anything. God's Spirit in the Apostle Paul and others were noticing their faithfulness to God in enduring their affliction, in preserving and teaching the word of God, and being led by the Holy Spirit to become the word of God. His very love, His very loving nature. Verse 9, for they themselves declare concerning us what matter of entry we had to you and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.

This is not just a one-time thing, like repentance it has a beginning, but knowing God is a continual process of learning for the human mind. We always have to be peeling away those, the baggage of our old ideas of what God was, and learning who He is anew with the gift of His Spirit, with the revelation of His Word, and always coming to know Him. Brethren, Christ described that as eternal life, knowing God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. It's John 17.3. What a joy it is to be able to peel away all those things that hinder our ability to see Him face to face.

Verse 10, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. This is what we're waiting for, His return. But in order for us to take care of what we've been entrusted with as the called and the chosen, the elect in this age, we've got to acknowledge these gifts. First, the Word, the revelation of God's character, His will and plan for all of humanity.

These were words that were once carved into stone, they were once written on scrolls or paper, they were once communicated through reading and preaching, but now in His faithful, they will live in their hearts. Those words will live in the hearts of His faithful. They will have outlets, they will have examples. You will see it in what they do, not just in what they say, because we love indeed and in truth, not just in word, not just a matter of saying it.

We've got to progress beyond the structures, the limitations we've put in place, that society has placed within us, fears that we have where we don't reach out in love, we don't reach out in sacrifice and in honor, but that we don't trust love within us. Brethren, you trust God? God is love, then you will trust love. It's not this ethereal, weird, hate-ashbury thing from back in the 60s. It's not beyond our reach. If we're learning to know God, we will be learning to know love, and that should nothing should hinder us, especially within this group. We are defined by His love. What is stifling it within us?

What are we afraid to say, to do, to share? Got to get beyond that. His Word needs to live in the hearts of His faithful. That's living faithful to what He entrusted us to do. Secondly, as was mentioned in 1st Thessalonians, one here, the Spirit. God's very nature. The power of His Holy Spirit is the supernatural force of His very nature, love. What is stifling it? Now, I'm reading more and more commentaries, and the more I read through Galatians 5, it's describing the fruits of the Spirit. There should be a semicolon after love, because look in the Greek, the word fruit.

We all often say fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Greek is singular. It's the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The fruit, singular. Love, first one mentioned, semicolon. How is it described? Joy, peace, patience, faith, kindness, gentleness, meekness, self- control, all aspects of God's loving nature, all under the umbrella of love.

Every one of those need to describe us, if we are the faithful. That supernatural force couples with the human spirit, that which separates us from everything else in the physical environment around us, and especially in the faithful. It makes, that's what makes His faithful new creations. We're still the same flesh and blood that went into the baptismal, same flesh and blood that came out.

But something's different in spirit, in drive, in desire, in want, in understanding, in who we are inside, which matters so much more. The elect live God's truth in spirit, and then God assesses their faithfulness by how they practice His word in spirit. Look at 2 Peter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1 talks about this progression of what our faith must become. 2 Peter 1 will read verses 5 through 11. It begins with faith. It speaks in verse 4, something we mentioned this morning in the Bible study in humanity, that to us, those who have fellowship with God and Jesus Christ, verse 4 says, by which has been given to us, this is the elect, exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of what?

The divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Now this reference to divine nature begins verse 5. Verse 5 says, but for this very reason, the reason is because His divine nature is within us. This is how we progress. Add to your faith. So faith, belief, and wanting to act on the belief is the beginning.

That's the path that we are on. And what do we learn on that path? Add to your faith virtue. To virtue knowledge. To knowledge self-control. To self-control perseverance. To perseverance godliness. To godliness brotherly kindness. And to brotherly kindness love. Study all of those. They're very different, but they're all progressive. What begins in the faithful ends in those who become love. The offspring of God in spirit. Verse 8, for if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything else will be built in love. And nothing else can be built if the foundation of love isn't there.

You think you're keeping the Word of God? Not if it's not in love. You think you're keeping His statutes and judgments? Not if it's not in love. Paul said that really clearly in 1 Corinthians 13. You think you're keeping His commandments? Not if you're not doing in love. What about the way to your matters of the law?

Justice, mercy, faith. You think you're keeping those? Not if it's not in love. Founds everything. This is the basis of who we are, who the faithful will be. Verse 9, for he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten what he was cleansed from his old sins. So we get caught up in all these physical things. We get drawn to discussions about whether evolution is true or false. Really? Still? We proved God in spirit, brethren.

In spirit and in truth. Are we getting into a scientific discussion that can't possibly infer whether something in spirit exists or not? Move beyond. Don't get into arguments with people that cannot understand. Don't cast your pearls before a swine. Move beyond that. If we lack love, if we lack this progression from faith to love, we are short-sighted even to blindness, and we are forgotten that we are cleansed from our old sins, our old ways.

Verse 10, therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. That means live faithfully. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Again, what begins with faith in the called ends with love in those who remain faithful to that calling and their election. This is the path of the kingdom of God. Now, this has great rewards. Recognizing the joy and the gift that God has given us, but also being sobered by the responsibility that we have to progress, has great rewards.

And we should leave this message with an understanding of those rewards, how special they are, and they should always be in our minds and recognize that in this age and the age to come, God is faithful and will take care of his faithful. Some of this we've already touched on, but let's summarize them. What are the rewards of the faithful? First, God will justify them. We read that somewhat already. He will forgive the sins of his faithful elect. But look at Acts 13. We'll read verses 38 and 39. Paul here is speaking in a synagogue in Antioch.

They asked him, do you have anything to tell us? He goes through this this discussion, which over half and towards the end of it is a discussion of Christ, revealing who Christ was, how he fulfilled the Scriptures, and so on.

Verse 38, he says, Acts 13 and 38, says, therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this man Christ is preached to you the forgiveness of sins. Verse 39, and by him everyone who believes is justified from those sins, from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. No matter of lawkeeping, from this point forward will forgive you of your past sins. Justification comes only through Christ.

God will justify. He will forgive us of his past sins. That's a great reward. Secondly, on the rewards of the faithful, God will impart his righteousness to them. We already touched on those, just as he did for the Father of the faithful. He will impart his righteousness. Let me give you a reference of the Scriptures here that say this. Genesis 15.6. Romans 4.3, which we read. Galatians 3 verse 6 and James 2 verse 23.

God will impart his righteousness to the faithful. Number three, God will enlighten them. He will open their minds. Look at Ephesians chapter 1 here. Ephesians 1 verses 15 through 21. We went through this in the in-home studies a few years back in Ephesians. The first 14 verses through Ephesians is almost like one long run-on sentence. It's talking there about seven elements of our calling and why it so specially chose us, he predestined us, he sealed us with his Holy Spirit, and so on.

Now verses 15 through 21 points the Ephesians and us now into this direction of where we're going. He says, therefore I also, after I heard of your faith, again there it is again, your belief in the Lord Jesus and your love, there it is again, for all the saints. This is individual. These are groups in Ephesus who began with faith and were ending in love.

They were on that path, that direction. Verse 16, do not cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom, the spiritual intent to be wise. Don't stifle that with emotion. Think through. It's the essence of judgment and we are called to be judges. Learn wisdom, study the Proverbs, learn how to apply them. Take a step back in anything you're facing in life, especially problems with human nature. You have a problem with someone else. Somebody else is having a problem with someone else.

Step back and recognize that God is giving us the Spirit of wisdom, and in His word of the answers we can apply them. We can help. We can resolve. That's extension of love. And revelation. He imparts it. He opens the mind to what He's saying.

We can understand His word in a world where no one else can. In the knowledge of Him. What do we say eternal life? What did Christ say eternal life was? Knowing Him. This is his gift of eternal life, knowing God the Father. Verse 18, that the eyes of your understanding be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand of the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

This is all about what is to come. This is our focus. God gives us that focus by enlightening us, by opening our minds. Number four, God will justify us, He will impart righteousness to us, He will enlighten us, the faithful, He will also defend us. Look at Romans 8 here. Romans 8 verses 31 through 34. Romans 8 verse 31. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

What a statement. He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us, oh, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is He who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore has also risen and even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us. God defends us. He knows the hearts of His elect. He knows whether we're striving to live faithfully or not.

The battles we win and the battles we lose, He knows them. Even if they just go on in the mind and nobody else sees them, but He will not accept any accusation against His faithful. Against those He has called and elected and is building a trust in where He knows they will do what He tells them to do.

They will take care of what He entrusted them with. He will defend us. Now there are times when He will allow the tax to come. Look at Psalm 31. We have to recognize that in this setting of His faithful we recognize they will come. It will happen. We will have our trials.

We will have our difficulties. Though it may not seem it's a direct assault to our faith, in all cases we live on a planet ruled by God's adversary and they are indeed an assault. In this sense, God will preserve us. This is number five. One was God will justify. Two, He will impart His righteousness. Three, He will enlighten us. Four, He will defend us. But even in the midst of attack, He will preserve us. This is His promise. Psalm 31. There's a beautiful Psalm about this. Let's just read verses 19 through 24. Oh, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have prepared for those who trust in you in the presence of the sons of men.

Now this trust in Him, in His faithfulness toward us, is how He sees. In the way that we live, we are faithful toward Him. In the presence of the sons of men. Verse 20. You shall hide them in the secret place of your presence from the plots of men. He protects us in ways we don't even see. You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion or shelter from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city, a fortified city.

For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before your eyes. Nevertheless, you heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to you. Always does. Verse 23 now. Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints. For the Lord preserves the faithful and fully repays the proud in person, a proud person. Be of good courage and be strengthened in your heart, and He shall strengthen your heart.

All you who hope in the Lord. The Lord God preserves His faithful. He will protect us, He'll uphold us, He'll sustain us as His elect, even as He is preparing us in trials to be faithful. You should never forget that He will preserve us. Number six, God will avenge us. There's no reason we need to latch out against anyone who is persecuting us for any reason. Luke 18. Luke 18 verses 7 and 8. This is the parable of the unjust judge, where the widow kept coming to Him and asking for help from her adversary.

He didn't want to be grieved by her, and He was unjust. God is a just judge. How often do we come to Him that He will take care of us? Always. Verses 7 and 8. And shall God not avenge His own elect, who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

Christ questioned this. Will that happen? In the midst of everything that we would go through in this age, wouldn't the faithful still be here? If we trust in God to avenge us, we will. Though God will allow His elect to be tried, even to the point of torment and persecution, He promises His justice to those who remain faithful to Him. Lastly, number 7, God will glorify His faithful.

Let's go to 2 Thessalonians 1. 2 Thessalonians 1 will read verses 3 through 10, and then we'll summarize with one more Scripture. 2 Thessalonians 1 verses 3 through 10. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you abounds toward each other. It starts with believing and acting on what God says, but it must be progressing to love. That's the only way it can progress.

The love of every one of you abounds toward each other. Verse 4 now, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer. Since it is a righteous thing that with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, these shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.

Notice that we will share in this glory. His faithful will be rewarded with his very glory. Verse 10, when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

The elect know that they must remain faithful to stand with Christ at his return, and that faithful are overwhelmed by this honor and what it entails. But God promises to prepare them and see them through to the end as long as they remain faithful. Let's close in Philippians 1 here.

In a very encouraging scripture, Philippians 1, verses 3 through 6, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mind making requests for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

Be confident of this very thing, that he, who has begun a good work in you, will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ, until his return. Christ's description of those who will stand with him on his day is both encouraging and sobering. These are the individuals that heard his invitation, understood it as an invitation into his holy family. It was embedded in the gospel message of the kingdom of God, and they responded with humility and with deep respect. And they showed themselves loyal and reliable by performing all that he entrusted to them, namely his word and his spirit.

These are God's called, his chosen, and his faithful. These are those who will stand firm in his word and spirit until the day of Jesus Christ.