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The Pledge To Faithfulness

(Ps101:6-8; Rev19:11)

God is the Lord (the Master).

By His word, He created all things and is their Lord (Ps100:3), and

With His blood, He purchased souls and is their Lord (1Pe1:18-19).

He seeks the faithful on earth so that they may dwell with Him and serve Him forever (Ps101:6-8).

Faith is believing His covenant and making a relationship with Him, and

The life of this faith is risking one's life to be faithful until the end, to death.

Faithfulness or loyalty refers to

The link between a kingdom and its people, a king and his subjects, a master and his servants for:
1) There is only one lord ” only one head that rules, that one serves;
2) Sharing life and death, happiness and sadness ” having the same fate;
3) One who is trusted must do his best without deceit or betrayal.

While God put Adam in charge of the Garden and gave him the right to rule over it (Ge2:15),

He forbid the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil so that

Adam would know that God is the Master (Ge2:17).

Deceived by the devil, however,

Adam sinned and was consequently banished, for he had become a traitor (Ge3:11, 24).

Though Moses was criticized by others (Nu12:1-8),

God continued to have a relationship with him because

He was faithful as a servant in all God's house (Dt34:5; He3:5).

The tabernacle could not be thought of without Moses because:
1) He built it according to the patterns that God showed him (Ex25:8-9);
2) There were the stone tablets that he received from God (Ex25:21, 32:15-16); and
3) The sons of His brother Aaron served God there (Ex28:1).

Nevertheless, Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again three days (Jn2:19),

Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,

He would put an end to the faithfulness of servants and

Reveal the faithfulness of the Son who would willingly lay down His life.

Thus, as He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1) Laid down His life for the Father, the Lord, and was faithful to Him (Jn10:17-18);
2) Condemned the devil, the rebel, the traitor (Is14:12-15; 1Jn3:8); and
3) With His blood purchased souls and became their Lord (1Pe1:18).

The Father raised Him and He ascended to the heavenly throne from where

With the marks of faithfulness on His body

He eternally gives glory to the Father (Rev5:6, 12).

The Holy Spirit lets those who believe in the name Yeshua

Know that they have become the people of His possession, the children of God, and

The servants of Christ (Jn1:12; 1Pe2:9).

Therefore, they are baptized in His name, making the pledge to faithfulness to Him

As they repent for the things they had done in the past

As slaves of the devil (Ac2:38; Eph2:2-3; 2Pe2:19).

For the name Yeshua means faithfulness (Rev19:11),

Those who believe Him confess that:

1) Yeshua alone is their Lord ” thus, "christs and the like are antichrist;

2) They died with Him and now live with Him, belonging to the same body of life;

3) They are faithful to the church, His body, whose head is Christ.

There is only "amen to them and

With diligence and sincerity they carry out their duties (1Co4:2; 1Ti1:12, 3:8-11).

Neither liars nor double-tongued,

They are faithful witnesses (Rev3:14, 22:18-19).

Yeshua, death, faithfulness and baptism are all on one straight line.

With baptism, the Christian begins and pledges to be faithful to death for

In the last day, the traitor or the betrayer will head to hell with the devil (Mt25:11),

While the faithful to death will receive the crown of life (Rev2:10).

O Lord,

Though we have been baptized and confessed You as our Lord,

Still there is this nature of faithlessness, betrayal and rebellion within us

For we are by nature children of wrath.

O Lord,

Let us be faithful to death for Your church! Amen.