Fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness
Recently, there was a PGA tournament winner by the name of Xander Shaufelle:
Xander has played really good golf all season long, placing in the top 10 in 9/11 Tournaments
5 of those being top 5
About halfway through his run of really good finishes, he was asked if he was frustrated by his being so-close and yet not winning a single tournament. His response was this:
"A steady drip caves a stone"
His thought process was that if you keep working hard and making the right decisions, the breakthrough would eventually come
This was akin to what Ovid (The Roman Poet alive around the time of Christ) wrote:
“Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.”
-Ovid
Then on May 19th - he finished 1st in the PGA Championship
That is the picture of what it means to be faithful!
Faithfulness has an exponential force in your life
When you are faithful to something, the results always seem small in the moment, but they are huge over time
In the kingdom of Christ, when you keep doing the things that he has called you to - breakthroughs come suddenly over time!
We have been talking about the opposites and substitutes of each fruit of the Spirit
It should be obvious that the opposite of faithfulness is: UNFAITHFULNESS or FAITHLESSNESS
Much of what we say will be directed at the ACTIONS of faithfulness, but understand that FAITHFUL ACTIONS flow out of FAITHFUL BELIEFS
Now for the opposite of faithful:
We could call it Faithless
We could call it unfaithful
The fact is that faithfulness requires HARD WORK!
It requires repetition
It requires a steadfast holding onto our convictions
We want to be found faithful!
1 Corinthians 4:2 (ESV)
2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
Let's talk about the substitute - cause we live in a messed up world!
In our culture, the substitute for FAITHFULNESS is:
ENTITLEMENT - The idea that I don't have to do anything to earn anything because I'm owed something!
We read:
Luke 12:32 (ESV)
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
...and we interpreted it to mean that HE OWES the kingdom to me
What does it mean to be faithful?
To be faithful means that you have an unwavering commitment (both in idea & in practice) to something.
You can be faithful in:
Your marriage
Your job duties
Your attendance to something (we believe in faithful attendance to HCC, amen?)
A particular discipline
Spiritually speaking - Let’s talk about some things that we want to be faithful to:
1.Faithful to prayer
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (ESV) 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Faithful prayer is abundantly effective:
James 5:16 (NKJV)
16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Here's how Jesus taught his disciples to pray:
Luke 18:1–8 (ESV) 1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
2.Faithful to your Bible
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.
You need to be systematically, consistently studying your Bible
If you need resources, we are gearing up to equip you to effectively study your Bible
The Bible Deep
Do you remember what God told the prophet Hosea?:
Hosea 4:6 (ESV) 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
The fact that your devotional life is a wreck and your life is in shambles is no coincidence!
3.Faithful to your faith community
Hebrews 10:25 (ESV) 25 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.
Why is this important?
Believers encourage you
Believers hold you accountable
Believers pray WITH you through a situation
You NEED other believers in your life according to 1 Corinthians 12!
4.Faithful with your resources
Matthew 25:21 (ESV) 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
2 Corinthians 9:10–11 (ESV)
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
Provision and Abundance are products of FAITHFULNESS
The concepts of reaping and sowing are a kingdom law - you don't have the option of breaking these laws!
The problem is that some people want to sow sporadically and reap faithfully - but a plentiful harvest is tied to faithful sowing!
Reaping is a reward of FAITHFUL SOWING
Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
This is not just a financial concept or a church attendance concept - it is the fundamental idea that:
When you are faithful with the Kingdom of God
Prayer
Bible
Treasures
Serving
Attending
....it causes increase in your life in every area that you apply it:
2 Corinthians 9:6 (ESV)
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
When you pray faithfully
He answers - you find him, you receive of His character
When you study faithfully
He brings it back to your remembrance
He hides it in your heart that you might not sin against him
He is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path
When you give faithfully, he says:
Luke 6:38 (ESV) 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
When you SHOW UP
He says:
Matthew 18:20 (ESV) 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Faithfulness is THE common trait of those who live an overcoming lifestyle!
Jesus said:
Matthew 24:13 (ESV): 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
James 1:12 (ESV)
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
Sometimes you don't see the fruit of your faithfulness here: I need you to know that God keeps good records.
Some of you have invested, and Satan has lied to you that it's no use:
You are laying up treasures in heaven - and he can't touch the reward of your faithfulness
Every prayer you've prayed - is not a waste:
Revelation 5:8 (ESV)
8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit - that takes being faithful to the spirit to see come to fruition.
Here’s what that means:
It lends itself to itself.
When I am faithful to Him, he produces faithfulness in me.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it gets easier, but rather it gives me the ability to be faithful in things that require MORE FAITH!
But it also means that I have to commit to faithful actions before I see faithful fruits.
