The Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Hebrews 10:19-25 “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Being the Faithful.

Faithful in Christ.

Colossians 1:2 - To the saints and the faithful brothers…

Eph 1:1 - To the saints in Ephesus, who are faithful in Christ.

Revelation 17:14 - those who are with Christ are the called, the chosen, and the faithful.

What faithful implies.

Having faith, integrity - being reliable, loyal, and dependable.

Faithfulness is not found much today.

A poor work-ethic - showing up late to work, putting in half-hearted effort, jumping from job to job.

We see it in our homes, husbands and wives vow “till death do us part…” but infidelity is pervasive.

Porn, online-affairs.

The church is plagued with unfaithfulness - members who vow to support the work and worship of the church, but drift away over time, venture off to different congregations, if they go anywhere at all.

To say the least, this type of conduct should never mark God’s people. We should be a people faithful to the Lord and faithful to our word. Our loyalties must begin and end with Christ. We are to be the faithful remnant who abide in Christ.

The Fruit of Faithfulness

Examining Hebrews 10:19-25.

The Faithful Draw Near to God

(That is, they Worship.)

The faithful sincerely worship God, through the open way of Christ.

True (sincere) hearts in full assurance of faith They come to God daily to be washed and renewed

Hearts sprinkled clean and bodies washed.

The image in Hebrews is that of the priest entering into the holy of holies to worship - the only way to enter was through the ceremonial cleansing.

Hebrews is saying, we have that, and more, through the cleansing, renewing, and restoring work of the Holy Spirit.

The faithful draw near in regular worship before God.

Not just weekly, not just daily, but moment by moment - with their hearts and minds fixed upon Him. Everything we do is meant to be done as worship before the Lord.

Ro 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

The Faithful Hold Fast

The Faithful hold fast to the faith

Jude 3 Contend for the faith has been entrusted to you

Deut 5:32 - Do not veer to the right or left from God’s word

1 Ti 1:19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,

Remain Firm

Phil 1:27 “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,”

1 Tim 6:12 “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

Faithfulness and obedience

We are to walk with Christ in integrity and duty

Keeping fixed upon Christ

Dwelling in the Word Digging deeper into theology

Studying the faith… Every man, woman, and child ought to be a theologian - thinking deep about God and our faith

Read the Catechism, the Confession, good books of theology

The Faithful are Committed to One Another

Faithfulness in our relationships with one another

Today’s Catechism Insert - Adultery and Chastity - integrity in our relationships Do Not forsake the coming together

Go to church

Letter from the Elders to those who don’t attend

Provoke, encourage, one another

The Faithful Persevere Unto the End

Looking to the coming of Christ: waiting, watching, and ready

Not losing our heads as things go from worse to worse

Remaining in the faith

Our Struggle with Faithfulness

We are slow to learn, and overcome with doubt

We are weak, and easily divided from one another

We lack vision, the ability to see the end, and so we get discouraged.

The Hope of the Faithful

(The imperative always follows the indicative - the command follows the condition)

God is Faithful To His Word

What God says, He will do

There is no shadow of turning with thee…

God is Faithful to His People

He is faithful to save and redeem

Even when we are faithless 2 Tim

Our salvation is due to His own faithfulness, not ours

He Will Hold You Fast

The strength of our faith is not the source of our salvation, but the strength of His faithfulness toward us. It is not my hold on Christ that saves, but his hold on me

He will not lose one that God has given him.