Fruitful Faithfulness
Fruit Bearing • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
We have been studying, on Sunday mornings, a series of lessons on “Fruit Bearing” based on Jesus’ words from John 15:1-2.
John 15:1–2 (ESV)
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
As Christians, the branches to Jesus’ vine, we are expected to produce the fruit of Jesus in our lives.
That has led us over these last several weeks to the point of the most obvious divine fruit, the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Today, we are going to be focusing on the character of the faithfulness that is found in the Fruit of the Spirit.
We are certainly to demonstrate faithfulness in our lives.
3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
But what exactly does this mean to demonstrate faithfulness in our lives?
What Is Faithfulness?
What Is Faithfulness?
Defining It Biblically.
Defining It Biblically.
When it comes to trying to determine what it means to be faithful we need to look no further than him who is faithful perfectly in our God. After all we are to be producing the “Fruit of the Spirit.”
To do this let’s examine what is said on the matter of faithfulness and see if a biblical definition does not present itself.
We find that faithfulness is spiritual not material.
Psalm 78:8 (ESV)
8 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
We find that the heart plays a part in faithfulness.
1 Kings 2:4 (ESV)
4 that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
2 Chronicles 19:9 (ESV)
9 And he charged them: “Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart”
Jeremiah 32:41 (ESV)
41 I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
We find that steadfast love is often found with faithfulness. We find this combination in 39 verses in the scriptures.
Psalm 36:5 (ESV)
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
Psalm 40:11 (ESV)
11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!
Isaiah 16:5 (ESV)
5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.
We find that faithfulness is service to the LORD.
14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
We find that faithfulness is keeping God’s covenant and law.
Psalm 25:10 (ESV)
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Summary
Summary
Therefore, faithfulness is…
“A determination to do our best to keep God’s covenant/promise through obedience to his word with all our heart in steadfast love by way of our service to him forever.”
Deuteronomy 7:9 (ESV)
9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations
So how can we be fruitful in faithfulness to our God?
Upholding God’s Covenant
Upholding God’s Covenant
The New Covenant.
The New Covenant.
A covenant is a “binding agreement between parties.”
In God’s case he has always had a covenant between him and his creation, humanity.
Today, we are all under the “New Covenant” as it is commonly described, making the old covenant obsolete.
8 For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
This covenant is what Jesus died to bring about and what we reminded of during the Memorial Feast.
20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
So what is the agreement/covenant God has made with man?
God has agreed or promised to give us access to sin removal, give us everything we need to live righteously here on earth, and to bring us to his eternal home.
Has God kept his promise/covenant to give us access to having our sins removed?
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Has God kept his promise/covenant to give us everything we need to live righteously here on earth?
2 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
1 John 1:7 (ESV)
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Has God kept his promise/covenant to bring his faithful home?
Luke 16:22 (ESV)
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side…
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Revelation 2:7 (ESV)
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
God most certainly has kept his covenant and will always be faithful to keep his covenant with man.
The question for us is what agreement/promise/covenant did we make with God in order to receive his promise of removal of sins, godly living, and an eternity with him in heaven.
The first promise or agreement we must make to receive these promises is to…
Uphold Steadfast Love For God.
Uphold Steadfast Love For God.
Upholding steadfast love for God means sacrifice.
Psalm 50:5 (ESV)
5 Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!
We must sacrifice our “old man of sin” to receive forgiveness of our sins and become a new creation.
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
We must sacrifice all things that might hinder us from faithfulness.
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
We must sacrifice all of self for a complete love for God.
27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
This is the covenant we have agreed to with God to uphold a steadfast love for him through our sacrifice.
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. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Summary
Summary
We bear fruit of faithfulness to our God when we demonstrate a steadfast love for God.
When we are willing in love to sacrifice everything to be with our God for eternity.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Are we, on our own, able to achieve such a sacrifice in our lives?
No, even as Christians we are going to sin and fall short of the glory of God.
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
But thankfully, God has given those that striving to take up their cross daily by sacrificing the things of flesh his Son’s continual blood and thus forgiveness of sins.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The question isn’t whether or not we are in a covenant with God.
Everyone is in a covenant with God.
We either agree to live without him in our lives and not according to his will and accept that reward we are seeking of an eternity separated from God, OR…
We agree to sacrifice in this life to receive an eternity in the presence of the Lord.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.