I invite you to turn tonight for our Scripture reading to Daniel chapter 6. Daniel chapter 6 had indicated we would read the first five verses, but it's a worthy story to read the entire chapter, Daniel chapter 6. We read this tonight in connection with our consideration of the godly virtues, the virtues of godliness that we have been considering before the Christmas holidays, those virtues outlined for us. For example, in Galatians chapter 5, the fruit of the Spirit, and Colossians chapter 3. When we began, we first began to consider those virtues that are considered God-centered, those virtues that in essence serve to focus our attention on God, His majesty and the glory of what He has done for us. virtues of humility and contentment, of thankfulness and joy, those characteristics that the Holy Spirit uses to draw us as God's people into deeper devotion to God. And following those, we have now begun to consider those virtues, those characteristics that are considered to be God-like characters, characteristics that flow from devotion to God. We have already considered holiness, self-control. There are the virtues yet that we might consider of peace and patience and gentleness and kindness and goodness. But tonight, faithfulness. And in that connection, I draw your attention before Daniel 6 to one verse, the Word of God from Solomon in Proverbs 20, verse 6. Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man, who can find? Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man, who can find? In connection, we turn our attention to Daniel 6. The Word of God there says, It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally, these men said, We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God. So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said, O King Darius, live forever. The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisors, and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lion's den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered in accordance with the laws of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be repealed. So King Darius put the decree in writing. Now, when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree. Did you not publish a decree that during the next 30 days anyone who prays to any God or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lion's den? The king answered, The decree stands in accordance with the laws of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be repealed. Then they said to the king, Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day. When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed. He was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed. So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lion's den. The king said to Daniel, May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you. A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him, and he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lion's den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the lions? Daniel answered, O king, live forever. My God sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king. The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lion's den, along with their wives and children. Before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language throughout the land, May you prosper greatly. I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel, for he is the living God and he endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed. His dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves. He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions. So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus of the Persian. There ends the reading of God's holy word. May He bless it to us tonight. Well, beloved in Christ the Lord, I remember as a young child singing a familiar Sunday school song at that time, Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone, dare to have a purpose firm, and dare to make it known. Now, what is being commended there, at least it sounds like with the word dare, is the bravery of Daniel. And as a child, I must confess that I thought that it was talking about his bravery in facing the lion's den. And in a sense, I suppose, that's true because Daniel did not allow the threat of being thrown in the lion's den to cause him to compromise his faith and his practice before God. Yet, what that song is really pointing to is Daniel's bravery in standing alone against the opposition of the administrators and the satraps who were out to get him and destroy him. However, what Scripture is commending to us is not Daniel's bravery, but his faithfulness. Verse 4 says he is trustworthy. It can also be translated faithful. His faithfulness, by which the Holy Spirit of God gave him confidence to stand in the face of opposition. His faithfulness is what ought to stand out to us, because that is what stood out to his enemies, negatively speaking, and that is what stood out to King Darius, positively speaking. Now, I suspect that when we think of one being faithful, most likely we think of that one being devout in their relationship with God and indeed that is the foundation of faithfulness. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and faithfulness practiced to God, yet faithfulness to God, it doesn't end there. Faithfulness to God naturally then flows into, it results in faithfulness in a believer's relationship with fellow man. Because faithfulness is of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is included among the godlike virtues, those ethical qualities, for example, that Paul lists in Galatians 5. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those godly virtues are demonstrated by the believer and experienced through us by others as they find them, as they recognize them into the child of God. And indeed, though it is not necessarily applauded by the world, there is hardly a greater honor than to be recognized as a faithful man or a faithful woman. For that is clear evidence of the grace of the Holy Spirit at work. And therefore, as confessors of Jesus Christ, as we examine ourselves daily, we are to be finding faithfulness. Finding faithfulness in ourselves. But with regard to finding faithfulness, more broadly speaking, first of all, we consider its problem, its difficulty, its disappointment, which is set forth by Solomon again, as he says, many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man, who can find? Many claim to have unfailing love, but who can truly find a faithful, loving man? See, the problem in finding faithfulness is that it is hard to find among mankind. As even the ungodly will proclaim their own goodness. Even the ungodly want to be seen and considered by others as kind and loving and generous. Even the ungodly desires to have a good reputation among others. whether it's true or not for their own selfish purposes. But as Solomon teaches, but few practice what they claim. We can think of Israel's King Jehu. In 2 Kings 10, we read there that he boasts of his zeal for the Lord. He says, come see my zeal for the Lord. And then in that chapter, we read how in a deceptive way, he destroyed the temple and the ministers and the worship of Baal. That was a good thing. eradicating Baal worship out of the midst of Israel. However, at the end of his life, we are told that he was not careful to keep the law of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam. He boasted of his zeal for the Lord. Yet, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam. Or we can think of Absalom. Absalom, you recall, he deceptively endeared himself to the people at the city gate. He stood there when they came with their problems. He said, well, tell me what your problem is. And when they did, he would say, well, if I were the king, this is what I would do. Endearing himself to the people, all the while deceptively planning to overthrow his father David, to put him to death. Or we can think of the Pharisees who desired to have a good spiritual reputation before men as we considered some time ago in Matthew 6, in their prayers, in their fasting, in their giving, doing so before the eyes of men, being self-serving. having hearts far from God. Many a man will boast of being loving, but a faithful man, who can find? Self-boasting and a desire for a good reputation before others with selfish or sinful motives is not hard to find, Solomon is saying. Those, we might say, are a dime a dozen. But a true reputation of faithfulness, the action, the activity of faithfulness, is hard to find. It is not a natural virtue. It's hard to find because of what faithfulness is. Now, the word that is translated in the original Hebrew and Proverbs and the original Greek and Galatians is the word that is translated faith. It can be translated as faith. But even then, it can either be pointing to the objective content In other words, the truth believed, or it can be talking about the subjective act of believing that truth, and the context will determine which one it ought to be. But it can also be translated, as it is in Proverbs 20, verse 6, and Galatians 5, verse 22, as faithful or faithfulness. Pointing to the character that is to exist in one by virtue of what is believed. Talking about one who is bound, committed to the truth, one who is truthful, governed by the truth in all of life, in thoughts, in words, and in actions. Faithful is what God expects His children to be and what the Holy Spirit of God makes His children to be, producing the fruit of faithfulness. Faithfulness has to do with the truth of God and firm trust and confidence in that truth and therefore, the faithful one is firm. The faithful one can be counted upon. The faithful one is dependable and reliable and trustworthy and loyal in his words and work. Reliable and trustworthy when it comes to the truth of God, to the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. One writer gives this definition, A faithful person is one who is dependable, trustworthy, and loyal, who can be dependent upon in all of his relationships, and who is absolutely honest and ethical in all of his affairs. And that describes Daniel. Verse 4 again, At this, when Darius was planning to set him over the whole kingdom, At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. He was not corrupt, but the opposite. He was honest and ethical. He was not negligent, but the opposite. He was careful and thoughtful and considerate. This is why Darius promoted him. Again, faithfulness is not natural for the lost sinner because it is a God-like virtue for which we have been given in the second place, it's pattern. The pattern of faithfulness is God Himself. That pattern revealed in His Word. That pattern understood and received only by faith. We are called to be understanding God's pattern of faithfulness as we find its testimony in Scripture itself. He is the faithful God, as Moses says in Deuteronomy 7, verse 9. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God. He is the faithful God. And Moses describes that faithfulness this way, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments. God is faithful to His covenant promises, faithful to His Word. As the psalmist says in Psalm 145, verse 13, the Lord is faithful to all of His promises. And beloved, that means also then that He is faithful in all of His works. fulfilling His promises, doing what He says He would do. The entire Word of God is a testimony to His faithfulness page after page after page, even as we saw in that one short episode of the widow of Zarephath this morning. God being faithful to His promise to provide for her day after day after day with just a handful of flour and a little bit of oil. Faithful in all of His works. It's a testimony to His faithfulness that He is absolutely, utterly, and completely trustworthy, dependable, reliable, and loyal to Himself, and therefore for us. He will never let us down. Of course, there are times that we think He does, aren't there? When we're facing hard circumstances of life or when our prayers aren't answered as quickly as we would like or in the way that we would like, we sometimes want to blame God for letting us down. But even those times, as the Bible says, those things work together for the good of those who love Him. And therefore, the truth is God will never let us down. He will never change what He has said. He will never go back on His Word. He does. He accomplishes all that He promises, all that He has said. We may have absolute confidence in Him because of His faithfulness. And then we must also understand the necessity of His faithfulness for us. His faithfulness is necessary for the forgiveness of all of our sins. We depend on His faithfulness for that. As John says, He is faithful and just to forgive us. His faithfulness is necessary for deliverance from temptation. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10.13, with regard to those temptations that are common to man, Paul says He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. We depend on God's faithfulness to provide that. His faithfulness is necessary for deliverance through times of suffering, as Peter makes clear in 1 Peter 4.19. It's necessary for our complete sanctification. As Paul says in Philippians 1.6, He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. Or as he says in 1 Thessalonians 5, that the Lord will keep you blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. God's faithfulness to Himself and to His Word is necessary for our final salvation, for our hope of eternal life. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1, He will keep you strong to the end. Or as Peter speaks of the inheritance, to be kept safe for those who are kept by God. And beloved, His faithfulness is not only necessary for us for the life to come, but also for our physical life, for this life. We depend on God's faithfulness to uphold the laws of nature and biology and physiology and all of those things. There is no certainty in any of this for this life or the life to come if God is not perfectly faithful to Himself and to His Word. And along with understanding God's pattern of faithfulness, then we are called to have faith in the faithful One. To believe that all of this is true of Him. All that He has said that He would send a Savior, that He has sent the Savior, that those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. to believe that all of this is true of Him, that He is the faithful God, and to believe that it is true for me too. Not only for others. Praise God for the whole church. But for me too, personally. You see, by the grace of God, those whom God calls to Himself, those for whom Jesus died and rose again, they are given the gift of faith by the Holy Spirit to believe and to receive all of Christ's benefits. And they then become the personal projects, the personal work projects of the Holy Spirit who begins a good work in His people, who produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit, including producing faithfulness in the child of God. Faithfulness, first of all, again, to God. to His Word, to His will, in a life of grateful, obedient service to Him, faithful in one's relationship with God, in daily life, in prayer, in worship, in living for Him moment by moment. That faithfulness to God, which then can't help but result in the third place, in its practice, the practice of faithfulness in this life and world, in our relationship with others. Faithfulness motivated not by selfish gain, not by sinful desires, but motivated by God's faithfulness to us, motivated by what God has done for us, keeping His Word. Our security in Christ Jesus motivates us to faithfulness to God in all aspects of life. Daniel, Scripture is clear, was faithful. He was loyal to God. Listen again to verse 10. Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Before the decree, three times a day. After the decree, three times a day. And it was noticed, listen again beginning at verse 19, At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lion's den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, Daniel, listen to how he describes him, Servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions? Daniel answered, O king, live forever. My God sent His angel, and He shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight, nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O King. Scripture is clear that Daniel was faithful. He was loyal to God. And by God's grace, that loyalty, that faithfulness to God, by the power of the Spirit, made him also then dependable, trustworthy, reliable, and loyal in the eyes of Darius. His life of integrity in his faith made him a man of integrity in the sight of Darius, the blessed work of the Holy Spirit. And the same we know was true of Joseph before Potiphar, or the captain of the prison guard, or ultimately to Pharaoh himself. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of faithfulness so that it is practiced in the child of God in word. Honesty. Upholding the truth. That is to be the hallmark of a faithful person. Proverbs 12, verse 22 says, There we read, The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful. And in chapter 14, verse 5, A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies. God hates lying and deceitfulness of every kind of word to be sure, but also of action. In Proverbs 20, verses 10 and 23, we read of differing weights and measures and dishonest scales that God hates. God hates the deceitfulness of exaggeration, of twisting the truth, Of giving a false impression, which is often done by us so easily and so lightly, most often for convenience sake. He hates the deceitfulness of saying what you think others want to hear, whether in order to get what you want, or simply to pacify them in order to get them off your back. Yet said with a different attitude of heart, that does not truly agree, does not truly mean what was said. Now, sadly, we know that dishonesty is expected in certain ways in our society. For example, it's often expected by some in order to succeed in business, to lie and cheat in order to work one's way to the top. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours in an underhanded sort of way. It's expected somewhat in politics. We sort of expect politicians to tell us what we want to hear in order to get the vote. it's expected but it is to be the hallmark the truth is to be the hallmark of the believer's life and the truth is beloved who of us really believes everything a used car salesman says we expect it in a sense but faithfulness upholds the truth in all forms at all times at all costs for Daniel No corruption was found. It doesn't mean that he was perfect. We know that. But it means that he was a man of faithfulness. And beloved, this is why faithfulness is so hard for many, because it is costly. It is selfless. It is other-directed. It points to others first. It may cost you your time. It may cost you maybe even your reputation. It may cost you money. Yet faithfulness is to be practiced in word and also practiced in action. As the truth that is spoken is supported in action, we can summarize this with two words, dependability and loyalty. Are you dependable? Are you loyal? Dependability, trustworthy, being reliable, keeping, fulfilling one's word, not going back on one's word, Not changing one's mind once a commitment is made. Daniel, again, was not negligent. We might describe him as the kind of a person that others could count on. He kept his appointments and he was on time for them. He honored his word. He was considerate of his actions and the effect that his actions would have on others. Again, beloved, sadly, Many operate by the rule of personal desire and personal convenience. I'll keep my word if it's convenient or unless something better comes along. And that's a temptation for all of us, isn't it? It's a temptation for boys and girls and young people. Once you commit to an activity, once you commit to an invitation, you commit to that activity, but when something more enjoyable or more appealing comes along, maybe you've committed to babysit for someone And then you get invited to your best friend's house. You want to get out of that babysitting job. When something more enjoyable, something more appealing comes along, you try to get out of that first commitment, no matter how it might affect those who are involved. Getting out of it without an agreeable solution. It's also a temptation for those of us who are older. For example, maybe when it comes to business deals, sometimes when one discovers that a business deal is not to that one's advantage, They look for a way out. They look for a legal loophole that is acceptable in society according to the law of the land. Yet it would hurt the party to whom the commitment was made. Beloved, one who is faithful, faithful in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore one who is dependable, worthy of trust and reliable will not renege even though it may cost him something because that one sees dependability as a duty to and a duty desired by God who has been, who is being, and who always will be faithful to us. In Psalm 15, David says, Lord, who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? Read that tonight if you have time. And read the answer. But included in that answer is He who keeps His oath even when it hurts. Dependability in action and word. faithfulness to god who calls us to be faithful but along with the action of dependability then the action of loyalty now when we think of loyalty we might think of customers being loyal beautiful picture of loyalty really is your pet dog isn't it there's no greater picture in some ways of loyalty than that dog who is is forgiving in so many ways we think of loyalty to friends being trustworthy, having their back, putting up with their negative as well as their positive qualities. Loyalty, especially in times of hardship and stress. A true loyal friend is not just out for his own social satisfaction. For him, a friendship is never merely a friendship of convenience only when it is for his benefit. But a true loyal friend is loyal through thick and thin. And boys and girls, you may remember a powerful example of loyal friendship that we find in the Bible. Jonathan. David's friend. A powerful example of loyalty to David. Loyalty that almost cost him his life and in a sense, we might say, did cost him the throne. Of course, God had determined David would receive the throne. But Jonathan knew that. Loyalty, especially in times of hardship and stress, and even for the other's good. Proverbs 11, verse 13 says, A gossip betrays confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret for the good of the other. But now notice, though, this good does not mean that it's always in the way that we would like. Listen to another verse. Proverbs 27, verse 6 says, Words from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. There's a warning there against a blind loyalty. On the one hand, there is to be loyalty at all costs, but on the other hand, there is not to be loyalty at all costs. Words from a friend, and notice it doesn't say, nice words, positive words, uplifting words. All of a friend's words can be trusted. But an enemy multiplies kisses. In other words, this warning against blind loyalty is that many will tell you what you want to hear, but a true loyal friend will tell you what you need to hear, even if it hurts. We may not always like what is said to us from that friend, but we can depend on that friend because that true and loyal friend is loyal to God, loyal to the truth, loyal to you and me, and therefore we can depend upon his words or her words being only for our good. That one comes in love with the truth because that one cares too much to let another go unchecked with a wrong attitude or with sinful actions that offend God or would be harmful to others. That's a loyal friend. Also loyal in all circumstances of life that one will always be there for your good. Beloved, faithfulness, dependability, reliability, loyalty, it is a God-like virtue. It describes Him. He is faithful perfectly. But for you and me, faithfulness is indeed costly. Because it is selfless. It is other-directed. It is given to. It serves others. It is costly as seen in Jesus Christ. Beloved, we see God's pattern of faithfulness and we are vividly reminded of our own sins when we look into the mirror of God's holiness and His faithfulness. And we can only cry out with the psalmist in Psalm 130 as we read this morning, If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? As we examine our lives, this is the only conclusion. O Lord, I cannot stand. I have been so faithless. I have been so lacking in faithfulness to God and to others. Yet the psalmist goes on, But with you there is forgiveness. Therefore, you are feared. You see, beloved, we rejoice in God's faithfulness to His promises. To His promises to save a people for Himself. His promises to send a Savior and sending Him. His promise that whoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. We rejoice in the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. It cost Him everything. He gave His all all the way to death on the cross for all of our sins, even for our lack of faithfulness. For those who are in Christ Jesus, God sees us as perfectly righteous and faithful. Apart from Him, one is not and will not be faithful. Only in Christ Jesus will one be faithful because of His work applied by the Holy Spirit. And therefore, beloved, in Him we may pray with confidence that the Holy Spirit would work powerfully, transforming and more and more cleansing us from selfishness and making each one of us more and more faithful so that if it is God's will through us, the world may see a glimpse of the faithfulness of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. A faithful man is found only in Jesus Christ through faith. Oh, may it be that by the grace of God we would be found faithful in Him. Jesus Christ alone by the Holy Spirit equips and enables and encourages us to stand faithful before the face of God and before the eyes of a watching world. Amen. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, we must confess that as we, equipped by your Holy Spirit, examine our hearts and lives, we see so many shortcomings, so much sin, so much unfaithfulness. Not only is our faith often weak, not only do we often lack trusting in you as we ought, But even our lives of faithfulness to You and living as You call us to live, those lives are so weak and sometimes so sparse. And therefore, too, we lack faithfulness among others. But we thank You, Heavenly Father, for our security in Christ the Faithful One who has given Himself for us that we might be Your very own possession. And therefore, Father, we pray, too, that You would work powerfully and effectively in our hearts and lives by Your Holy Spirit more and more causing us to be faithful children of the Most High God. Demonstrating faithfulness in all areas of life to the praise and the honor and the glory of You, our God and our King. Oh, Father, hear our prayer. Equip us as only You can do. And may You receive all the praise and the honor and the glory for Jesus' sake. Amen. Thank you.