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WEEKLY
Volume 4 Number 34
17 January 2010
A Steadfast Heart
(Message delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the
Worship Service, 2:00 pm, Jan 17, 10)
Text: Ps 112:7-8
How about your heart and my heart when
we receive bad or evil news? “Your loved one has passed away!” or “Your
house has been completely destroyed!” or “Wicked people are planning to
destroy your reputation and even take away your life” or “You have been
sacked!” or “You suffer from cancer!” Dear friends, it is a great
blessing for you and me if we can have a steadfast heart while we are
living in this cursed, troubled and wicked world, not to mention the
attacks and temptations from Satan, the wicked one, our adversary, who
does not leave us alone when we are determined to follow the Lord
closely and His Word to the jot and tittle. David had a steadfast heart
when he trusted in the Lord and cried unto Him for deliverance from his
troubles and distress, saying, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is
fixed: I will sing and give praise” (Ps 57:7; 108:1). How about you
and me?
Steadfast: Meaning
The Hebrew term for “fixed” is kûn,
which means established, firm, steadfast, fixed. With 219
occurrences, the KJV translates as “prepare” 85 times, “establish” 58
times, “ready” 17 times, “stablish” five times, “provide” five times,
“right” five times, “fixed” four times, “set” four times, “direct” three
times, “order” three times etc. “He brought me up also out of an
horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and
established (kûn) my goings” (Ps 40:2), and “The
steps of a good man are ordered (kûn) by the LORD: and he
delighteth in his way” (Ps 37:23), and “He shall not be afraid of
evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD” (Ps 112:7).
Another equivalent Hebrew term is sāmak,
which means supported, sustained, upheld, established, unmoved, firm.
With 48 occurrences, the KJV translates as “lay” 18 times, “uphold” nine
times, “put” five times, “lean” three times, “stay” three times,
“sustained” three times, “holden up” once, “borne up” once,
“established” once, “stand fast” once, for example, “His heart is
established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his
enemies” (Ps 112:8) and “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly
cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand” (Ps 37:24).
The Greek term for “established,
steadfast” is bebaioo, (from bebaios), which means
firm, steadfast. With 8 occurrences of bebaioo, the KJV
translates as “confirm” five times, “establish” twice, and “stablish”
once, “Now he which stablisheth (bebaioo) us with you
in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God” (2 Cor 1:21). With 9
occurrences of bebaios, the KJV translates as “stedfast” four
times, “sure” twice, “firm” once, “of force” once, and “more sure” once,
“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast
(bebaios), and which entereth into that within the veil”
(Heb 6:19). Another equivalent Greek term is
hedraios,
which means settled, steadfast, firm. With three occurrences, the
KJV translates as “steadfast” twice, and “settled” once, “If ye
continue in the faith grounded and settled (hedraios), and
be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and
which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I
Paul am made a minister” (Col 1:23).
A Steadfast Heart
Thus, a steadfast heart is a firm and
faithful heart unto the Lord and to His Word without being shaken or
moved or changed by wrong doctrines, difficulties, trials, temptations,
persecutions, or dangers. Looking at the life of Job, we see that his
heart was steadfast and trusting in the Lord unto death although he lost
his children, his wealth, and his good health, saying, “Though he
slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). How about the apostle
Paul? After being converted, Paul served the Lord faithfully unto death
despite all difficulties, opposition, or persecutions, saying, “I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith” (2 Tim 4:7), and God used Paul to encourage us,
“Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be ye stedfast
(hedraios), unmoveable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain
in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58). Do you and I have a steadfast heart for
the Lord and His Word?
How to Have a Steadfast Heart
Know and Trust in the Lord and His
Word: It is very
vital for you and me to have a heart-knowledge of the Lord and His Word
so that we may wholeheartedly trust in Him and His Word and be
established and firm in heart. We cannot wholeheartedly trust in a
person whom we do not know well. We cannot wholeheartedly trust his word
if we do not know him well. How can you and I know God and His Word so
that we may wholeheartedly trust in Him and His Word? There is only one
way. We must humble ourselves and read His perfectly inspired and
perfectly preserved Word with a teachable, reverent, trusting and
submissive heart, and the Holy Spirit will help you and me “grow in
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2
Pet 3:18). Surely knowing that our living, true, almighty and faithful
God is sovereign and able to make all things work together for good unto
His dear children who love Him and obey Him (Rom 8:28), we shall trust
in Him and give thanks unto Him for all things and in all things (Eph
5:20; 1 Thess 5:18). Moreover, God and His Word are always the same,
everlasting and endure for ever, so He and His Word are able to make our
hearts steadfast, firm and established, “Now he which stablisheth
(bebaioo) us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God”
(2 Cor 1:21) and “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled (natsab,
fixed, established) in heaven” (Ps 119:89). The more we trust
and obey God’s Word the firmer foundation we are building in our
spiritual life, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine,
and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house
upon a rock” (Matt 7:24). Then, do you know and trust in the Lord
and His Word? “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is
fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be
afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies” (Ps 112:7-8) and
“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man”
(Ps 118:8).
Cry unto the Lord for His Mercy:
God uses trials, difficulties, opposition and persecutions to mould and
establish His children’s hearts. Then, you and I must turn to the Lord
and cry unto Him for help and deliverance, through which we may grow in
faith and in His knowledge. David trusted in the Lord and cried for help
and deliverance, so his heart was fixed (steadfast), “Be
merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in
thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these
calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that
performeth all things for me… My heart is
fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise” (Ps
57:1, 2, 7). Dear friends, do you and I turn to the Lord and humbly cry
unto Him in our trials and difficulties?
Rooted and Grounded in the Lord and
His Word: A
person who gladly received God’s Word “yet hath he not root in
himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution
ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended” (Matt 13:21).
Being rooted and grounded in the Lord and His Word means being totally
dependent on the Lord and His Word and living by the Lord and His Word
moment by moment and day by day like the branch on the Vine (John
15:1-5). Are you and I rooted and grounded in the Lord and His Word?
“Rooted and built up in him, and stablished (bébaios) in the
faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving
(Col 2:7), and “If ye continue in the faith grounded and
settled (hedraios), and be not moved away from the hope of
the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every
creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister”
(Col 1:23).
Be Attached to the Anchor of Our
Souls: A ship
without an anchor is easily moved or tossed to and fro. God does not
want you and me to be shaken and compromising, but “come in the unity
of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we
henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph 4:13-14), Our
Lord Jesus Christ is the Anchor of our troubled souls. If we keep a
living fellowship with Him moment by moment wherever we are, we shall be
established by Him and His Word, “Which hope we have as an anchor of
the soul, both sure and stedfast (bébaios), and which entereth into that
within the veil” (Heb 6:19).
Fear God and Depart from Sin and Evil:
God is holy and righteous and He never condones sin or unrighteousness.
It is always good and wise to fear God and keep ourselves from sin and
evil. Job “feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1), so his heart
was established. As the Lord is the Anchor of our souls, and sin will
separate us from the Lord and trouble our souls, the only way for us to
have peace is to come back to Him in repentance and restore our living
fellowship with Him, “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that
feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments… He shall
not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD”
(Ps 112:1, 7).
Conclusion
Dear friends, it is a great blessing
to have our hearts established by the Lord and His Word. May God help
you and me grow in His grace and in the knowledge of Him and His Word,
trust in Him and His Word, cry unto Him for help and deliverance. Fear
God and depart from sin and evil, and keep a living fellowship with our
Lord so that we may enjoy His peace and be established and faithful unto
the end. Amen.
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