Key #7: Faithfulness

Opening Line

Proverbs 20:6 NLT

Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

Introduction

Solomon shares these words with his son as he writes Proverbs. The comment is regarding faithfulness, and even back then, if you were able to find a friend who was completely dependable, someone who was truly faithful, you found someone special

There’s nothing new under the sun, is there? Faithfulness is quickly becoming a rare commodity. I have noticed it more and more in the church. There was a time when committing to your denomination or fellowship meant something. Now, pastors seem to be willing to jump ship at even the slightest convenience.

But it isn’t just the church. In business, I’ve watched people stick around at a job for a while, and with not regard to their boss or the time spent, just drop everything to go somewhere else, even a competitor. The really bizarre thing is that the trend now is to leave for less money, but for some other arbitrary reason that seems good in the moment, only to regret it later.

So if people are so quick to abandon their loyalties in the business, why would it be any different in the private? How do you know which friends you can trust? How do you know which relationships you can invest in?

This is where the people of God are supposed to be different, and it is because of the example that our heavenly Father sets for us.

Deuteronomy 32:4 NLT

He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!

Faithfulness is...

so what is faithfulness? There are two aspects of faithfulness. First is in regards to God Himself. Faithfulness is God’s perfect loyalty and consistency in being true to His name, His character, and His word.

So if God is faithful, then when His Holy Spirit comes and dwells within you, then you have that characteristic within you.

Remember, when you declare Jesus as your Lord and Savior and His Holy Spirit comes and dwells within you, you don’t get a piece of Him; you get the full Spirit. Since the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one God, that means all things that God is, you become. If God is love, then you begin to have a greater capacity to love. If Jesus is the prince of peace, then you begin to experience a deeper peace then the world can offer. If God is faithful, then you become loyal and consistent in your relationships and conduct.

The New Testament actually describes faithfulness as a divine quality that believers are urged to remember and develop.

If you want to see this divine quality on display, then let us look at the story of Ruth.

We are Ruth 1 this morning, for those who have your bible. We will just dive in, and I will give you some context of what is really going on.

Ruth 1:6–9 NLT

Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah. But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.

Naomi’s Gesture

For a little context, Naomi, her husband, and their sons left Israel due to a famine. During their time in Moab, the sons found wives for themselves. Now, all three men are gone.

In those days, your nation and your gods were intertwined. Everytime Israel went to war, there was a perception that the gods were also doing battle. It is why David would often send the Ark of the covenant with the army, because they wanted God to go with them and watch over them.

But when the women married, they would have been expected to leave their gods behind and accept the gods of their husbands. But it never worked that way, and this is what God warned the Israelites about. It would be like if you moved to another country and were expected to give up being Canadian, there are things that make you Canadian that it would be hard to stop. Back then, for these women, to stop worshipping their gods would’ve been like ceasing to be Moabite. It was part of them, and it would’ve been easier to just worship both sets of gods.

So Naomi is giving these women a free pass. Go back to your country, go back to your ways, and go back to your gods.

we pick it up in v. 14

Ruth 1:14 NLT

And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi.

so one of the daughters-in-law take her up on the offer. She kisses her mother-in-law goodbye, and goes back to mom and dad’s place. This would have been pretty standard practice for a greiving woman. They would go back for their time of greiving, and if it was appropriate, dad would find another suitor for her.

But Ruth refuses.

Ruth 1:15–18 NLT

“Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.

Ruth Chooses Faithfulness

Ruth however, remains loyal to Naomi. Instead of taking the easy route and going back to the way things were, she chooses to remain with Naomi. The Lord is now her God, and Israel is now her people. She is staying true to her deceased husband, and she is going to care for her mother-in-law.

Now if you read the rest of Ruth, you know that God blesses her for her faithfulness and she would become the grandmother of King David, and she would be listed in the chronology of Jesus Himself.

but remember, there were no guarantees. Ruth was prepared to live out her days, the prime of her life, with her mother-in-law. She would care for her, even though she couldn’t work. She was going to give up having a family of her own. Naomi was going to be the only family she would ever have for the rest of her life.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is what faithfulness looks like, and it is what God displays all throughout Scripture. When you read the story of Israel, and the number of times the nation, God’s chosen people, were unfaithful to Him, it is truly amazing that He didn’t give up on them. Instead, He would allow the consequences of their actions to play out, and when they turned back to Him, He would be ready and waiting for them.

Hebrews 10:23 NLT

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Faithful, Loyal, and Trustful

I started the message by quoting Solomon. Who can find one who is truly reliable? How can we grow in faithfulness?

1. When you serve others

Galatians 6:10 NLT

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

when you get in the practice of serving, you learn to put others before yourself. Ruth’s faithfulness is displayed in her willingness to put Naomi’s needs before her own. It is when you put your own interests before others that trust begins to break down. Serving helps you put others first.

2. When you pray for others

Ephesians 6:18 NLT

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Prayer is what you do when you talk to God and offer up your requests. Intercession is when you pray on behalf of others. As you read through the Paul’s letters, he says he is constantly praying for others. Even in Jesus’ model of prayer, He uses words like, “Our”, “we”, “us”. The idea is when you pray, you are not just praying for yourself, but others as well.

3. When you give

2 Corinthians 8:7–9 NLT

Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

Jesus showed His faithfulness to each of you by sacrificing His seat in heaven so that you could experience the rich blessing of God. This is His display of faithfulness, so it shouldn’t be any surprise that you show your faithfulness to God and others through your giving.

Everything you have has been entrusted to you by God. He trusts you to be faithful with what He has given, so you show your faithfulness by giving back and giving to others.

If you are willing to grow in faithfulness, and everything that entails such as loyalty and trust, that is going to have huge ramifications on every relationship in your life. Trust is the bedrock of every healthy marriage, and it is not easily earned, but is easily destroyed. Consistently removing the things that compromise trust is going to bring huge growth to your relationship.

If a faithful friend is a luxury not many have, then becoming a faithful friend is going to mean a lot for the friends you have. It means you are someone they can rely on and lean on in tough times. It means you will have a lifelong friend, no matter what happens.

Child of God, be faithful as your Heavenly Father is faithful

Discussion Questions:

1. What stood out from today’s message?

2. How can you grow from being someone that is trustworthy to trustful?

3. What is one relationship in your life that you can develop greater faithfulness in?