Fig Trees & Firewood: Faithfulness

Faithfulness

Welcome:

recap:

Gal 5:22

Galatians 5:22 NIV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Me: How was your weekend? I have a tool that pulls weeds. The problem is, the tool also pulls good grass.

We: Have you ever tried to fix something and accidently made things worse? A hole in the wall, touch up paint, eyebrows, hairlines?

“Leave well enough alone!”

Matthew 13:24-30

Matthew 13:24–30 (NIV)

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

(Most pastors plant churches with good intentions.)

25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

(There are certain people who, when the pastor is absent, will plant bad seed in the ground where good work is being done. And after they cause a bunch of problems, they leave, claiming the church hurt them. That’s when you start to notice the problems caused while they were there.)

26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.

(This is why I tell leaders who work closely with me, “Notice everything, correct little.” Though this evil work is tragic, wait it out and hope the strong, those rooted in Christ will survive. Those rooted by the gossip and slander of the evil doer, well — let’s read the last verse.)

30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

Here’s the big idea, when it comes to faithfulness, some people are just as faithful with doing evil as others are faithful doing good.

We can count on certain people to gossip or lie. We can count on others to pray and speak well of others.

So, I’m begging you to consider the seeds you sow, because you can work hard at what you do and in the end it will mean nothing if it is not of God.

Be careful who you get entangled with. Jesus says a tree is known by his fruit. And that means if they are not exhibiting the fruits we’ve been reading about in Gal 5:22-23 then they might be in church, but the church ain’t in them.

Maybe we should go back a little and read Gal 5:19-23

Galatians 5:19–23 NIV

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.