Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
500 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678106
Be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.1 Ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.2 As ye have … received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.3 He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved
Faithful Living in a Faithless World (2)
Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
(1) Begins with a conviction (v8a)
The Bible tells us Daniel “purposed” in his heart not to defile himself with the king’s meat and wine. The word “purposed”, in the perfect tense, signifies completed action, means “set, determine, fix”.
Daniel’s conviction to be an obedient child of God was fixed and settled. He determined in his young heart to be dedicated, committed and devoted to his God.
This word “faithful” is the word that describes persons trusting, believing, full of faith. In the passive, it describes one who is trustworthy, steadfast, faithful, dependable and reliable. One who can be entrusted with a task. It is the opposite of one who is dishonest. “Such a steward would be worthless if the master of the house had to be constantly looking over his shoulder to see if he was doing things right or to make sure he wasn’t embezzling money… while the context speaks specifically of “full-time ministers”, such as Paul and his co-workers, the clear application is to every Christian” (A Word for the Day, J.D. Watson). “Faithfulness” is the criteria for all who serves their Master Jesus Christ in God’s vineyard.
The Apostle Paul speaks of the Apostles and other teachers entrusted by God with spiritual authority as ministers of the gospel, as stewards or ministers of the gospel (1Corinthians 4:1; Titus 1:7; 1Peter 4:10), given spiritual oversight of the church. This word is used in the same way in two other places in the New Testament. The Apostle Peter uses the word “steward” to describe all Christians given spiritual gifts to use them edify members of the God’s household, the church.
A steward is entrusted great responsibilities in ancient times. The steward is held responsible for his master’s possessions and therefore he has to periodically give an account of his stewardship. He is a holder of a commission in the service of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 4:1; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 4:10) [The New Analytical Greek Lexicon; W. J. Perschbacher] We observe the stewardship of Joseph as a servant of Pharaoh. He served with distinction his master to fulfill God’s purpose.
Indeed, it is a blessing to be a steward of the gospel. May God help His servants to know the Master’s will and do it well. Amen.
The faithful minister of Christ is a diligent servant serving his Master who knows his lowly or humble position and accepts it as his calling in life. We may apply this to all who serves the Lord, not necessary just in the Word although the context refers to preachers of the gospel.
Ecclesiastes 6:7-12
7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. 8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit. 10 That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he. 11 Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better? 12 For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?
Who is s steward? He is a diligent and Unprivileged Server (v1a), caring for the Master’s possessions (v1b). The Apostle Paul was called by Christ and sent by Christ to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15-16; 22:14-16). He calls himself and his fellow-workers (1) “Ministers of Christ” and (2) “stewards of the mysteries of God”. The steward’s role stipulated for our learning in verse 1 “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.” Two-word pictures are given here “ministers” and “stewards” to help us understand the position/disposition of the steward.
The Apostle Paul tells us the godly qualities to look out for in God’s servants. The word “minister” has the basic meaning one who acts under orders of another to carry out his will, an assistant or helper. In our text, it refers to those who work with Christ to accomplish His purposes – a trusted servant or minister. Just as Joshua was an assistant to Moses and Timothy was an assistant to Paul.
The church is united in Christ. Christ is sent by God the Father to save men from their sins and to prepare them for eternity in heaven. When men try to divide the church by rising factions, the Apostle Paul, the mission of the church is compromised.