WILL JESUS FIND US FAITHFUL WHEN HE RETURNS?
It's Not Just How We Begin Our Walk With Christ — It's How We Finish.
Have you ever wondered what Jesus would find you doing if He returned today?
Would He find you praying, trusting, forgiving others, and faithfully using the opportunities He has given you?
Or would He find you so occupied with the concerns of this world that you had almost forgotten He was coming?
Jesus asked a remarkable question in Luke 18:8:
"Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
Jesus asked this question after teaching about persistent prayer and trusting God without losing heart.
Would His followers continue trusting Him, even when life became difficult?
And that brings us to today's question:
Will Jesus find us faithful when He returns?
1. Faithfulness Begins With Abiding in Christ
Jesus said in John 15:5:
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
Notice that Jesus didn't tell His disciples to produce fruit through their own strength.
He told them to abide in Him.
Our relationship with Jesus must come before we serve Jesus.
We can attend church, study Scripture, and participate in religious activities. But none of these can replace a personal relationship with our Savior.
We don't become faithful to earn salvation. We desire to be faithful because we have been saved by God's grace through faith.
Faithfulness begins with loving Jesus and allowing His Word to guide our lives.
2. Faithfulness Means Being Doers of the Word
James 1:22 tells us:
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
There is a difference between knowing God's Word and living according to it.
This is what I call the "Be Attitude" — being in Christ and becoming a doer of His Word.
Jesus desires more than religious knowledge. He desires obedience flowing from a heart that loves Him.
3. Faithfulness Is Tested During Difficult Times
It's easy to speak about faith when everything is going well.
But what happens when prayers seem unanswered?
What happens when we experience rejection, loneliness, illness, or disappointment?
Do we continue trusting God?
In Luke 18, Jesus told the story of a widow who persistently sought justice.
His purpose was to teach His disciples that they should always pray and not lose heart.
Sometimes faithfulness means continuing to pray when we don't understand God's timing.
Sometimes it means forgiving someone who has deeply hurt us.
And sometimes it simply means waking up another morning and saying:
"Father, I don't understand everything happening in my life, but I still trust You."
Faithfulness isn't the absence of difficulties. It's continuing to trust the Lord through them.
4. Faithfulness Means Using What God Has Entrusted to Us
In Matthew 25, Jesus told the Parable of the Talents.
A master entrusted his possessions to three servants before leaving on a journey.
Two servants invested what they received.
The third buried what had been entrusted to him.
When the master returned, he called each servant to give an account.
To the faithful servants, he said:
"Well done, good and faithful servant."
Here's something important.
The servants received different amounts, but the two faithful servants received the same commendation.
Their master recognized their faithfulness.
Those opportunities matter to God.
The question isn't how much we have been given. The question is what we are doing with what God has entrusted to us.
5. Our Faithfulness Has Eternal Significance
Second Corinthians 5:10 reminds us that believers must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ.
This is something every Christian should understand.
We are saved by grace through faith, not by our works.
But Scripture teaches that our service and faithfulness will be evaluated by Jesus.
First Corinthians 3:12–15 describes how our works will be tested.
Some will endure, while others will be burned up.
A believer may suffer loss of reward while still being saved.
Salvation is God's gift. Faithful service is our grateful response.
Our desire shouldn't be to impress others or receive earthly recognition.
It should be to please the One who gave His life for us.
Even the smallest acts of faithful service, unnoticed by the world, are known to our Heavenly Father.
6. It's Not Just How We Begin — It's How We Finish
Near the end of his earthly ministry, the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:7:
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Paul experienced persecution, imprisonment, rejection, and suffering.
Yet he continued trusting and serving Jesus.
He kept the faith.
What a testimony!
Our Christian lives aren't simply about the day we first believed.
They are also about the days and years that follow.
Are we growing closer to Jesus?
Are we becoming more obedient to His Word?
Are we investing our remaining time in things that have eternal value?
Finishing well doesn't mean living a flawless life.
It means continuing to depend upon God's grace and remaining faithful to our Savior.
7. What Will Jesus Find?
Let's return to the question Jesus asked:
"When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
Imagine standing before Jesus Christ.
The distractions of this world are gone.
The possessions and achievements we once considered so important have lost their earthly significance.
We are standing before the One who loved us enough to die for our sins.
What will matter then?
What a wonderful hope it is to hear:
"Well done, good and faithful servant."
A Final Thought
Perhaps the Lord has placed something upon your heart.
Maybe He's calling you to forgive someone, encourage a struggling believer, share the Gospel, or spend more time with Him.
Don't wait for a more convenient season.
We don't know how many tomorrows we have.
But we do have today.
And today is another opportunity to be faithful.
We cannot change yesterday, and tomorrow is not promised. But we can choose to be faithful to Jesus today.
When Jesus returns, may He find us not merely waiting for Him, but faithfully living for Him.
And may our greatest desire be to hear those wonderful words:
"Well done, good and faithful servant."
Amen.
I'm Well Done — Preparing for Eternity
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