The Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness
The Fruit of the Spirit • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
This series on the Fruit of the Spirit has been a powerful teaching. Hopefully, each message has helped mold and shape your life into what God has called you to be and do.
It certainly continues to shape my life. We have seen that there is one fruit of the Spirit with nine attributes that deal with attitude toward God, attitude towards each other, and attitude towards self. It can be argued that all of these overlap as we grow closer to God, others and learn more about ourselves. For example, love should be in every attribute that follows. In one sense, you start with love and the other attributes build on in and through love. Hear again these words from Galatians 5:22-23.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
We are starting the third set and the seventh attribute of the fruit of the Spirit. It is faithfulness. Faithfulness is a word that is used in may different ways throughout the Bible. As a form describing faith, it means reliable, trusted, true to one’s words, promises and vows. It is a conviction of truth. In the context of these attributes, we will see that faithfulness is personal, faithfulness is perceptive, faithfulness is purposed and faithfulness is patriotic.
Faithfulness is Personal
Faithfulness is Personal
Faithfulness is decision that is personal. No one else can decide for us if we are going to practice faithfulness or not. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we are able to gain access to the Holy God. We are able to connect to Him personally. A personal relationship with God gives us many advantages.
Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?
He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.
Faithfulness is personal because it gives the believer, as outlined in this Psalm. a relationship that allows him or her to worship God Almighty. Through faithfulness, we can enter His presence. It gives instructions about practicing faithfulness with others in oaths and business deals. It further gives the promise that by carrying out these instructions one will never be shaken. So just in this Psalm we see how faithfulness is personal with God, with others and with self.
We can also see that faithfulness is perceptive.
Faithfulness is Perceptive
Faithfulness is Perceptive
Perceptive means to have keenness of insight or understanding. When we are practicing faithfulness there are a few things that we will understand. First, we will understand that we are able to practice faithfulness because we have been bought with a price.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Practicing faithfulness helps us remember that we have been given life because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We have received this free gift by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. Therefore we should live our lives being true and faithful as a result.
Secondly, we will have the perspective that our sin was buried with Christ.
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
This means that there is no place for unfaithfulness in the Christian’s life. Unfaithfulness ultimately is sin. There is no place for sin in the Christians’s life.
When we have this perspective, we will go to great strides to make sure we keep our sin buried so that we might live a new life to its fullest.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
We add to this perceptive that we are born again with Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Our perspective becomes the perspective of Christ and that propels to practice a greater faithfulness. We recognize through the perspective of Christ and in turn that gives our faithfulness a purpose.
Faithfulness is Purposed
Faithfulness is Purposed
Purpose is the reason for which something exists or is done. When faithfulness is purposed, it becomes intentional. Look at the example given in Joshua.
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
The command given to the Israelites here is to fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. The emphasis of all is followed up in the next sentence of that verse. They were to get rid of anything that had been previously used in worship. Once again, the very first of the Ten Commandments requires that there is no other gods before the Lord.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
Faithfulness is intentional. It is also intellectual. There are many people who believe that practice faithfulness is a way of not so smart folks. Jesus even said we are to love the Lord with our minds.
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
Paul said that we should renew our minds.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
God created us to think. We are the only creatures with the ability to do so at such a great level of intelligence. Part of our intellect is the ability to plan. We can use our intellect to plan our faithfulness.
Do not those who plot evil go astray?
But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.
It is interesting to note that our faithfulness as it is purposed will be indicated. It will be obvious. For example, practicing faithfulness indicates that we are believing and doing the things of God.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
The phrase, “faithfulness the sash around his waist,” tells me that the practice of faithfulness can be seen. This is a beautiful passage that speaks of the redemptive work of Christ and how our sinful natures will be transformed causing peace to reign. Faithfulness will be worn like a sash. A sash is not an undergarment. It is worn as an ornament. When I was in scouts, I had all my merit badges on a sash so when I wore my uniform, I could display my hard work. In the military, a sash is worn to show achievement and prestige. Our faithfulness should be seen as a garment of great honor and we should be glad to indicate it so.
In my mind, when something becomes so indicative of one’s efforts, I also become inspired. With that logic, I think it is safe to say that faithfulness purposed is also inspired. My faithfulness should inspire your faithfulness and your faithfulness should inspire my faithfulness.
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The practice of faithfulness could also be seen as patriotic.
Faithfulness is Patriotic
Faithfulness is Patriotic
A patriot is someone who is loyal to a cause for which they believe. Does your practice of faithfulness show you are loyal to the cause of Christ? Years ago, Ray Boltz wrote a song called I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb.
I have heard how Christians long ago
Were brought before a tyrants throne
And they were told that he would spare their lives
If they would renounce the name of Christ
But one by one they chose to die
The Son of God they would not deny
Like a great angelic choir sings
I can almost hear their voices ring
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength
With all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
Now the years have come and the years have gone
But the cause of Jesus still goes on
And now our time has come to count the cost
To reject this world, to embrace the cross
And one by one let us live our lives
For the One who died to give us life
Till the trumpet sounds on the Final Day
Let us proudly stand and boldly say
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength
With all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
To the Lamb of God who bore my pain
Who took my place, Who wore my shame
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
As I have seen and studied great patriots that have been exemplified in our country, I see a characteristic and willingness to fight for that which they believe. Their fight was always the result of their faithfulness. The heroes of the Bible fought as a result of their faithfulness as well. They put off the things of this world and chose to go after the things of God. They were faithful to the cause of Christ. Their faithfulness was enduring.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Their faithfulness was also essential. We have heard much these days about essential workers. They are the folks that are absolutely necessary and indispensable. When we practice faithfulness that is essential, we are saying over and over again that God’s way is the absolute only way.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
As we go through Jesus, we realize more and more that there are many things we must leave behind to practice a faithfulness that honors Him.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
The problem today with many people is that they have lost the fight and they have lost their faith. The great African American preacher T. D. Jakes said, “When you get your faith back, you can get your fight back.”
My hope for you as you practice faithfulness, is that you will be encouraged. You can be encouraged by making faithfulness personal, by looking perspectively at the cost given for you to be called faithful, by looking at the purpose of your faith and becoming a patriot of your faith.
As you do, you will practice this attribute of the Fruit of the Spirit in a way that will change your life, build up the kingdom of God, and Glorify His Name!
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.