Theme: Faithfulness

Text: Rev. 2:10

– Pastor Bena. 7.8.11

This evening, we will focus on the theme of “Faithfulness.” I would like to begin our sermon with a poignant Corsican tale.

Years ago, a young Corsican boy named Fortunato was playing outside his home when a man came running towards him in desperation. The man was a thief, an outlaw, fleeing from the police. He begged Fortunato to hide him, promising five francs in return. Fortunato, moved by the promise, hid the man under a pile of straw and placed a cat and its kittens on top to conceal him further. Then, he resumed his play.

Soon, the police arrived. The adjutant, Gamba, who was a close relative of Fortunato’s family, asked the boy if he had seen the thief. Fortunato, loyal to his promise, claimed ignorance. Gamba, however, tempted the boy with a beautiful watch, promising it to him if he revealed the thief’s hiding place. Unable to resist the allure of the watch, Fortunato pointed to the straw.

At that moment, Mateo Falcone and his wife, Fortunato’s parents, arrived and inquired about the commotion. Gamba recounted the events and praised Fortunato for his cooperation. However, the thief, Gianetto Sanpiero, cursed the family as he was led away.

After the police left, Mateo knew what he had to do. He took his son into the forest and instructed him to pray for his soul. Despite Fortunato’s pleas for mercy, Mateo shot him. When his wife arrived and asked, “What have you done?” Mateo simply replied, “Justice.” He chose to uphold the dignity, reverence, and faithfulness of his family over the life of his son.

Likewise, human beings are members of God’s family. However, they betrayed God and accepted Satan’s bribe. God chose to uphold the dignity of His family rather than preserve the life of His only begotten Son. Thus, He gave His Son to be crucified. Through this sacrifice, we are welcomed back into God’s family and claim to be faithful in His sight.

But are we truly faithful to God? Do we genuinely strive to be faithful in His sight? Let us examine ourselves. In what ways must we be faithful?

1. Faithfulness in Money and Belongings: We often preach against materialism, and rightly so. Materialism, in its true sense, means prosperity without God and reliance on worldly things. We should not condemn wealth or the development of people who are faithful, sincere, and zealous. However, we must oppose prosperity without God. In the time of Prophet Amos, the Israelites were very religious, frequently visiting holy places like Bethel and Gilgal. Yet, they did not grow in truth. They made the ephah small and the shekel great, practicing deceit with false balances. Thus, God said, “Come to Bethel and transgress; to Gilgal and multiply transgression.” In our society, we pursue development, building grand and beautiful houses filled with exquisite furniture. But does God desire to dwell there? We might place an altar for God every morning, but if our hearts stray from faithfulness, the altar becomes a place of transgression.

2. Let us be faithful in sexuality: One of my dearest friends, who sadly passed away some years ago, was a street preacher with a voice like thunder. When he preached from the rooftops, no one could sleep. I often accompanied his ministry with my guitar. He was a man of great restraint and proudly called himself a better man. He once confided in me, “My friend, I can easily abstain from any intoxicating substances. I am truly Lalthafamkima. But I have one weakness.” “What is your weakness?” I asked. He replied, “I am very weak in the face of sexual temptation.”

Sexual temptation is perhaps the hardest test for many believers. As Somen Das mentioned in his book Christian Ethics and Indian Ethos, we live in a world of “sexplosion.” We are influenced by Hollywood culture, which permeates our society. The Bible urges us not to abuse sexuality, which is meant for married couples. However, we must also discipline those who transgress this law.

Desire is part of our human nature, but a man of God must keep his faith and present his body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him. Do you have inappropriate videos on your personal computer or mobile phone? When you enter this Holy Sanctuary, you may carry your mobile phone in your pocket. Are there any sinful images that lead you to the world of immorality and hinder your spiritual growth? Like Joseph, run away from the false allure of adultery.

3. Let us be faithful to our fellow human beings: There was a man from one village who had a habit of lying. He passed away some time ago. Once, he claimed, “Today, I shot a deer, and even as it was dying, it remained standing.” It was unbelievable that a deer could die in such a position. His neighbors had no faith in him and never trusted his words. On another occasion, he claimed to have received a strong companion in the Holy Spirit. Unable to speak, he wrote his messages on paper. No one knew he was pretending. However, one morning, his finger got jammed in a door, and before he could control his tongue, he cried out loudly, “Aiah.” He then told his followers, “Do not tell anyone about this.”

Do our neighbors have faith in us? If our fellow human beings cannot trust us, how can we be faithful to God? We must remember that God chooses us not for our wealth or qualifications, but for our faithfulness. Suppose I am an active minister of the church, performing many good works and fulfilling my duties, but I am unfaithful in secret. In that case, I believe a faithful drunkard is better than me in the sight of God.

So, let us be faithful to God and our fellow human beings so that we can make our society and family a better place and transform it into the kingdom of God.