MARKS OF A FAITHFUL FOLLOWER OF CHRIST

January 5  Marks of a Faithful Follower of Christ  1 Corinthians 4:1-2

Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina…“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2)

Each of us takes on different roles in our lives. If I were to ask you tonight to write down all the roles that you have – we could probably be here most of the day. For myself I wrote down just a few. Here they are: when it comes to relationships I am a husband, a father, a Papa, an uncle, a cousin, a nephew and a friend. When it comes to occupation I am a Pastor (Teacher, Counselor, Transporter, etc). When it comes to hobbies, I am a reader, a tinkerer, and a fixer. When it comes to work around the house I am a grounds keeper, a trash man, handy man and a go-fer. Most of you know what a gofer is, don’t you? A gofer is a person who goes “fer” this and goes “fer” that. Some may describe this as “honey–do.” That’s what a gofer is. You see each of us take on various roles in life.  Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 4 that a Christian has two primary roles.  Paul tells us, in this passage of scripture, that we are both servants and stewards. We are SERVANTS of Christ and number 2; we are STEWARDS of the mysteries of God!
The word translated “servant” was originally designated an underclass of seaman—one who was responsible to a higher-ranking officer. He was a rower in a boat. He had a boss over him who would tell him when to row. The word “steward” literally means house-manager. He is the person who is in charge when the owner is away. In both of these roles God expects us to be faithful. Look at v2: “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NKJV) There is no greater privilege today for the Christian than to be known and remembered as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. What does a faithful Christian look like? The first mark of faithfulness is ACCOUNTABILITY.  All of us as Christians are going to be held accountable. Who will you and I be accountable to? Our text tells us, “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ.” We are going to be accountable to God. The Bible tells us that all people in the world will accountable to Him: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Romans 14:11 (NKJV) God is the creator and master of the universe. The Bible says that at the last judgment God is going to ask us two questions. He will ask us first – what did you do with His son Jesus? Then He will ask us – what did you do with what I gave you? The first question is about relation-ship. How good of a servant were you? The second question is about the things He put you in charge of: your time, talents, possession, and information. How good of a steward were you? You and I are going to be accountable to Him in both of those areas. He is going to see if we were faithful. The first mark of a faithful Christian is accountability. The second mark of faithfulness is PREPAREDNESS. If we are faithful we are to always to be prepared. We need to faithfully do what is needed each day. Paul says "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." The third mark of faithfulness is COMMITMENT. Jesus said it this way: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 (HCSB)…  He also said: “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:38 (NKJV)… Paul did not have an easy life as a Christian – but one thing he did have, was commitment. The Bible tells us how Paul suffered as a Christian: “Five times he was whipped. Three times he was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times he was shipwrecked. He spent a night and a day in the sea. He faced dangers many times – more than many of us will ever face. But he always stayed committed to Jesus – he remained faithful. You see: The commitments we make – MAKE US.  The commitments  we make – SHAPE OUR LIVES. As a pastor, I have stood at the altar many times with a young couple standing in front of me and I have heard two young people commit to -“love, honor and cherish, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward, as long as we both shall live.” They both hope for the best in life. They hope for a bright future and that things will always go well. I hope that for them, too. But I can’t tell them what lies around the next corner of life – I am not a prophet. But I do know that the Bible tells us that two committed together are stronger than one alone. I can also tell you that when you make a commitment to Christ and remain faithful to Him, He promises that you will not be disappointed. God does not require a lot of things from you. You’re not required to be brilliant. You’re not required to be articulate. You’re not required to be literate. You’re not required to be handsome or beautiful. You’re not required to be eloquent. BUT YOU ARE REQUIRED TO BE FAITHFUL!!!  Are you demonstrating FAITHFULNESS?  Are you living an ACCOUNTABLE, PREPARED, and COMMITTED and FAITHFUL LIFE FOR CHRIST?  Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!