The Faithful – Ambassadors of Christ

A Sermon on Psalm 12:1

Introduction

Church, I want to ask you something this morning. Do you know what it means to be faithful?

Not faithful when everything is going well. Not faithful when the sun is shining and the bills are paid and the family is healthy. I mean faithful when the pressure comes. Faithful when the crowd is going the other way. Faithful when it costs you something.

Because that is the question Psalm 12 is asking. And it is the question our generation is being forced to answer.

Look with me at Psalm 12, verse 1. David cries out:

“Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.” (Psalm 12:1)

Salva, oh Jehová, porque se acabaron los piadosos; porque han desaparecido los fieles de entre los hijos de los hombres.

Do you hear the desperation in that cry? David is not making a casual observation. He is not filing a report. He is crying out to God because he looks around and the faithful are vanishing. The godly are ceasing. The ones he could count on, the ones who stood with him, the ones whose word was their bond — they are disappearing from among the sons of men.

Now, let me be careful here. David uses what we call hyperbole — an exaggeration for emphasis. Were there still faithful men and women in Israel? Absolutely. But David is expressing the urgency of the moment. He is saying, “Lord, this is serious. This is desperate. The faithful are failing.” And when a man of God feels that in his spirit, we need to pay attention.

1. The Times We Are Living In

We are living in perilous times. That is not pessimism; that is discernment. A time when even the faithful are tempted to follow the mainstream. A time when the pressure to conform is so strong that good people, godly people, are being pulled away.

These are samples of days to come. Jesus told us plainly. Listen to His warning in Matthew 24:24:

“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24)

Porque se levantarán falsos Cristos, y falsos profetas, y harán grandes señales y prodigios, de tal manera que engañarán, si fuere posible, aun a los escogidos.

Do you know what that means? The deception will be so convincing, the signs and wonders so impressive, that if it were possible, even the elect would be led astray. Jesus said that. Not me. Not your pastor. Jesus said the possibility of even the faithful being led away is ever so real.

That is why He told us the days would be cut short. Not because God is running out of time, but because He is protecting His people. The days are shortened lest the elect be led astray. That is mercy. That is the heart of a Shepherd who will not lose His sheep.

But here is what I need you to hear: the warning is real. The danger is real. And the enemy is not coming for the ones who were never following Christ. He is coming for the faithful.

2. The Pattern of Falling Away

This is not new. This is not unique to our generation. Look at what happened in the days of Elijah. First Kings 18, verse 4:

“For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.” (1 Kings 18:4)

Porque cuando Jezabel destruía a los profetas de Jehová, Obadías tomó a cien profetas y los escondió de cincuenta en cincuenta en cuevas, y los sustentó con pan y agua.

Obadiah had the same concern. Jezebel set out to kill all of God’s prophets, and Obadiah — a man who feared the Lord greatly — took one hundred prophets and hid them. Fifty in one cave. Fifty in another. He fed them with bread and water.

Why? Because the faithful were being hunted. Because the pressure to abandon the faith was literally a matter of life and death. And Obadiah understood something we need to understand: when the faithful are under attack, sometimes the calling is simply to preserve them. To hide them. To feed them. To keep them until the storm passes.

Peter also warns us. Second Peter 3:17:

“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked.” (2 Peter 3:17)

Así que vosotros, oh amados, sabiéndolo de antemano, guardaos, no sea que arrastrados por el error de los inicuos, caigáis de vuestra firmeza.

Peter is writing to the beloved. To the church. To people who already know the truth. And he says, “Beware. Guard yourselves. Do not be led away.” The Scriptures warn us that if a person thinks he is strong, he should watch out lest he falls.

This is the pattern. This is how it happens. Not in one dramatic moment, but in a slow drift. A compromise here. A silence there. A decision to go along with the crowd because it is easier than standing alone.

David saw it. He watched men who once walked with God begin to speak vanity. Look at verse 2:

“They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.” (Psalm 12:2)

Hablan con labios lisonjeros, y con doblez de corazón.

Lies and deceit become evident with their double heart. And James tells us exactly what a double heart produces: “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). El hombre de doble ánimo es inconstante en todos sus caminos.

Do you know what that means? It means you cannot serve two masters. You cannot love the world and love God. You cannot walk in the counsel of the ungodly and stand in the congregation of the righteous. A double heart makes you unstable. It makes you unreliable. It makes you unfaithful.

And David felt those words coming against him. The very men who once stood with him were now speaking flattery and deceit. The faithful were becoming unfaithful.

3. The Faithfulness of God

But here is the turn. Here is the hope. Here is why we do not despair.

David cried unto the Lord, and God responded. Verse 5:

“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” (Psalm 12:5)

Por la opresión de los pobres, por el gemido de los menesterosos, ahora me levantaré, dice Jehová; pondré en salvo al que por ello suspira.

Do you know what that means? It means God hears. It means God sees. It means when the faithful cry out, God rises up. He does not remain silent. He does not remain seated. He arises.

God sent His word on David’s behalf to save him, just like He did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter 3. Those three young men were thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. And the fire could not touch them. Why? Because they trusted in God. Because they were faithful.

Now look at verse 6:

“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6)

Las palabras de Jehová son palabras limpias, como plata refinada en horno de tierra, purificada siete veces.

Seven is a symbol of fullness and completeness. The oven purifies silver to the highest degree. But God’s words are purified seven times higher than that. His words are completely, perfectly, absolutely pure.

And here is what that means for you and me: if God’s word is that pure, that tested, that reliable — then we can build our lives on it. We can stand on it. We can trust it when everything around us is shifting.

The three Hebrew young men were thrown into an oven heated to the highest degree. But that fire could not touch them, because they trusted in God. And the same God who preserved them will preserve you.

4. What It Means to Be Faithful

So what does it mean to be faithful? Let me show you.

The word in the Hebrew is aman (H539) — and you will recognize it. It has the same root as amen. When we say “Amen,” we are saying, “It is true. It is sure. It is established.” Faithful men are said to be fast men. Their word is as confirming as their oath. Their word is as binding as their bond. They make conscience of being true both to God and man.

That is what it means to be faithful. It means your word means something. It means your yes is yes and your no is no. It means you are the same person in the dark that you are in the light.

Look at the examples God gives us:

Abraham was faithful because he believed God. He was counted righteous not because of what he did, but because he trusted what God said.

Moses was faithful with his hands steady lifted up. When the battle raged, as long as his hands were raised, Israel prevailed. He stayed in the posture of faith.

David was faithful, and his house was established. God made a covenant with him that would never be broken.

And then there is the church in Smyrna. Listen to what Jesus says to them in Revelation 2:10:

“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

Sé fiel hasta la muerte, y yo te daré la corona de la vida.

Do you hear that? Jesus did not say, “Be successful until death.” He did not say, “Be comfortable until death.” He did not say, “Be popular until death.” He said, “Be faithful until death.”

And the promise is a crown of life. Not a temporary reward. Not a fading prize. A crown of life that will never wither, never fade, never be taken away.

Application: How Do We Stay Faithful?

So, church, what do we do? How do we stay faithful in a time when the faithful are failing?

First, guard your heart. Peter said, “Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness.” The warning is for you. Not just for the person next to you. Not just for the backslider. For you. Check your heart. Examine your walk. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any area where you have begun to drift.

Second, stay in the Word. God’s words are pure words, purified seven times. If you want to stand firm, you must build your life on the Word of God. Not on opinions. Not on feelings. Not on what the culture says. On the Word. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Third, stay in community. Obadiah did not hide one prophet; he hid one hundred. He understood that we need each other. You cannot be faithful alone. You need brothers and sisters who will stand with you, pray for you, and hold you accountable.

Fourth, remember the reward. The crown of life is waiting. Not for the ones who start well, but for the ones who finish well. Not for the ones who look faithful, but for the ones who are faithful. Be faithful until death.

Conclusion

Church, I want to ask you one more time: Do you know what it means to be faithful?

It means when the false christs rise and the false prophets perform signs and wonders, you do not move. It means when the crowd goes one way, you stand still. It means when the fire is heated seven times hotter, you trust the God who walks with you in it.

David cried out, “Help, Lord!” And God arose. God always arises on behalf of His faithful ones.

So this is my call to you today. Not to be perfect. Not to be impressive. To be faithful. To be aman. To be a person whose word is your bond, whose life is consistent, whose faith is unshakable.

Because the faithful may disappear from among the sons of men — but they will never disappear from the heart of God.