Fruit of the Spirit—Faith (Faithfulness) (3-4 Lessons)
Series: Fruit of the Spirit Teaching Series
Chuck Sligh
Jul 20-Aug 17, 2014
TEXT: Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
INTRODUCTION
Are you getting tired of fruit? I hope not, because our “fruit salad” is only two-thirds finished.
You’ll recall from the first week of our study of the fruit of the Spirit that we noted that the qualities found in these verses form three triads (groups of three):
• The first triad are love, joy, and peace, found in verse 22, which we said are “habits of mind that find their source in GOD.”
• The second triad are qualities that reveal themselves in our relationships with OTHERS—longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness.
• The third triad are graces that guide the general conduct of the believer led by the Holy Spirit—faith, meekness, and temperance.
Today I want us to look at the word “faith” in verse 22, the first quality in the LAST triad.
First, let’s define the word translated “faith” here. The word in the Greek is pistis (pi/stiς, #4102)
“Pistis” has two meanings:
• If used in the ACTIVE sense, it means “believing, trusting, or relying.” – When used this way, it means “faith,” and is translated that way consistently throughout the King James Version of the New Testament.
• If pistis is used in the PASSIVE sense, it means something a little bit different.
It means “faithfulness, certain, trustworthy, or reliable.” It relates to the aspect of one’s CHARACTER, rather than to what he actively DOES. Thus it’s best translation is “faithfulness.”
In Galatians 5:22, the King James translators chose the word faith. However, every reference I researched regarding this passage (including commentaries, Greek word studies, and other translations) said the same thing—that here pistis is used in the PASSIVE sense, meaning the word faithfulness is what Paul meant—not faith.
So let’s look at the quality of FAITHFULNESS today:
I. NOTE FIRST OF ALL THE RARITY OF FAITHFULNESS
Note Proverbs 20:6 says “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man, who can find?”
Faithfulness is fast becoming a rarity in our day.
Illus. – A number of years ago the headline of a major supermarket tabloid proclaimed, “And they said it wouldn’t last!” The paper was celebrating the first wedding anniversary of a well-known couple whose marriage many had predicted wouldn’t last. The tabloid gleefully proclaimed that the predictions were all wrong, and that the marriage was healthy and strong. The famous couple they were talking about was Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, whose marriage ended soon afterwards.
The sad thing was not so much that they were wrong about the state of their marriage, but the idea that if a marriage has lasted one year, it has really lasted a long time!
Illus. – Hallmark has a card that fits the mood of our time by saying, “I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you today.”
Well…that’s real comforting isn’t it? But that’s about as deep a commitment to faithfulness as many are willing to make today.
But, you know, the rarity of faithfulness is not necessarily a new phenomenon.
• The WRITER OF PROVERBS I quoted a moment ago who asked, “…a faithful man, who can find?,” wrote those words over 3,000 years ago.
• The book of 1 Samuel chronicles the sad story of the priest, ELI, who was unfaithful in several areas of his life, not the least of which was the rearing of his sons. Because of his unfaithfulness, God rejected Eli’s priesthood. In 1 Samuel 2:35 God said “…I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind…” God was looking for a priest who would rise above the mediocrity of that day and be FAITHFUL in all things.
• In Psalm 12:1 DAVID lamented the lack of faithfulness in his own time when he said, “Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.”
• JESUS and PAUL both said much about faithfulness because there was a lack of faithfulness in their day.
Sadly, our day is no different.
Q. Can you think of some areas where faithfulness is lacking, both in the spiritual realm and in the secular realms as well?
A. Possible answers:
• People take on FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DEBTS, but are not faithful to fulfill those responsibilities and to pay their obligations. – Bankruptcies today are at an all time high.
• People take VOWS OF MARRIAGE before God to be true and faithful, and then break those vows by being unfaithful through adultery.
• Christians take on THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP by joining a church, but then become unfaithful and idle in their attendance to its services and participation in avenues of service.
Faithfulness is a rare thing—but it is greatly valued by God, as we will see.
II. NOTE SECONDLY THE REQUIREMENT OF FAITHFULNESS
Though faithfulness is a rare thing in our day, God nevertheless requires it of Christians who would please God.
Paul, talking about faithfulness in ministry, stated in 1 Corinthians 4:2 – “Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.”
The Bible teaches that we are stewards.
Q. What is a steward?
A. A steward was a person who had great responsibilities over things that belong to another to whom he was accountable.
God has given each of us talents, abilities and responsibilities to fulfill in the Christian life and we are accountable to God for our faithfulness in how we use our talents and abilities, and how we fulfill our responsibilities. “Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.” Every person who will be used by God must learn to be faithful.
It’s interesting to look at the people Paul praised in his letters. When referring to them, the thing he commended was NOT their oratorical skills, or their personality, or their effectiveness, or their wealth, or any of the other things we often value so much in people and leadership. So often it was their FAITHFULNESS that he pointed out.
Listen to some of these examples:
• 1 Corinthians 4:17 – “For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord…”
• Colossians 1:7 – “As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ.”
• Colossians 4:7 – “All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord.”
• Colossians 4:9 – “With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you.…”
Peter did the same thing in 1 Peter 5:12 when he referred to Silvanus as “a faithful brother.” Do you see the importance of faithfulness in the life of Christians that is evident throughout the Bible?
Why do these Bible writers place such value on the faithfulness of those whom they commend? Because “…it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2)
III. CONSIDER THIRDLY THE RECOGNITION OF FAITHFULNESS
How do you recognize a faithful person? The Bible gives us some things to look for when evaluating whether a person is faithful or not. When looking for people to serve in key positions of leadership, one of the things a pastor looks for is whether or not that person is a faithful person.
Turn with me to Luke 16 where Jesus teaches us three signs of a faithful person:
• First, a faithful person is FAITHFUL IN LITTLE THINGS – Luke 16:10 – “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
Has that person been faithful in the little areas he has been given?
Q. Why do you think faithfulness in little things is such an important clue?
A. Possible answers and additional comments:
If he has been faithful in the little areas, in the seemingly more insignificant areas of service that he has been assigned, then he can be trusted to be faithful in more important responsibilities later on. When looking at a person in an area of service, this is what I look for first—faithfulness in that which is least—in the “little things.”
Illus. – I recall a man who joined our church in Germany. I’ll call him Fred—not his real name. He was a graduate of a leading Christian university in the United States and had served as a song leader, choir director, and principal in a Christian school before joining the Army.
Fred and his family visited for the longest time before joining the church, but the day they joined he walked up to me and said he wanted to take over as the song leader and choir director right away.
Well, we already had a good song leader and choir director already, though he was not as trained as Fred, but he was faithful and doing a fine job. To begin with, it would be wrong to replace him just because somebody more qualified wanted his position.
But there was another problem. Up to that time Fred only came on Sunday mornings, and even then he seemed to come when he felt like it. He worked on cars and on several occasion he had stayed home from church on Sunday morning to fix a car.
So I told Fred that before I would even consider him for anything—for the church janitor as far as that went—he had to show himself faithful in the little thing of coming to all the services faithfully. Once he had proved himself faithful in that, then I might consider him for some other less visible, less important position to see if he would be faithful in that. Then and only then would I consider him for something as important as song leader and choir director.
He was shocked. He never changed his pattern of faithfulness, so I never used him in any capacity, which was sad because he did have great talent and ability that could have been greatly used by the Lord—IF he had first learned to be faithful in the little things.
• The second sign of a faithful person is faithfulness in handling his money – Luke 16:11 – “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon [money], who will commit to your trust the true riches?”
Let’s think about this…
Q. How does a person’s faithfulness in handling his money tell us something about his faithfulness in other areas of his life?
A. Possible answer or additional comments: If a person is faithful with what GOD has entrusted in his care and stewardship, he’ll probably be faithful in what WE entrust in his care and stewardship.
So let’s get practical here…
Q. How can you show faithfulness in the handling of your money?
A. There are many things to say here, but let me just emphasize three:
> First of all, give God what is His in a planned, systematic way. A person faithful with the 10 percent tithe that belongs to God is more likely to be faithful with the other 90 percent God has entrusted to him. Remember the verse we just discussed: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much...”
> Second, have control over your spending for “wants.” Learn to say “No!” to the salesman with the slick sales pitch on the newest, most fantastic, most up-to-date gizmo or piece of furniture or whatever it may be. Learn to wait and think and evaluate and pray before making decisions concerning spending for everything—but especially on your “wants” as opposed to your needs.
> Third, pay your bills and be faithful and prompt in your financial obligations. – Have a good testimony in that respect.
These are signs of the faithful person who is faithful with his money.
• The third sign of a faithful person is faithfulness with that which belongs to others – Luke 16:12 – “And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?”
Illus. – I remember borrowing a friend’s car for a week. When we were finished using it, I gave it a car wash, vacuumed it thoroughly (both the interior and the trunk), filled it up with gas and then topped off the oil.
The owner looked shocked when I gave him his car back. He said that it was cleaner and in better shape than when he gave it to me—probably since the time he had bought it! He seemed surprised that I would go to so much trouble, but I just thought that’s what I was supposed to do. That was just being faithful!
A Christian who is faithful with the things that belong to others is a person who can be trusted.
IV. FOURTHLY, LET’S CONSIDER THE ROAD TO FAITHFULNESS
By “road,” I mean, HOW can we become faithful?
How do we get there.
Let’s look then at some areas in which we need to be faithful
• We need to be faithful in the three areas we just mentioned—in little things, in our money, and in that which belongs to others. – Since we have already covered that, I won’t say more about that.
• Second, we need to be faithful in our personal relationship with God.…
---in a daily time of Bible study and prayer.
---in keeping sin confessed and keeping short accounts with God.
---in living a consistent, godly testimony.
---in being a faithful, constant witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Third, we need to be faithful in our family responsibilities.
> Men, be faithful to lead your families spiritually.
Lead your family by training your children to do right.
Lead your family by setting the right example.
Lead your family by faithfulness to God’s house.
Lead your family by setting right priorities –
Here are four quick guidelines to help you and your spouse in prioritizing the things and activities and people in your life (EXPAND AS LED):
---The SPIRITUAL is more important than the PHYSICAL.
---The ETERNAL is more important than the TEMPORAL.
---RELATIONSHIPS and PEOPLE are more important than THINGS.
---TRUTH is more important than RELATIONSHIPS, PEOPLE OR THINGS.
---LOVE is more important than anything.
Men, be faithful to meet your wives’ needs for time and companionship and being a faithful, caring listener.
> Ladies, be faithful to your responsibilities:
---Be faithful to meet the needs of your husband and children,
---Be a keeper in the home as God has commanded.
---Obey the Word of God by being in submission to your husband.
> Children and teenagers, be faithful to show the proper respect and honor and obedience to your parents that God demands.
• Fourthly, you need to be faithful in your responsibilities to your local church.
> Be faithful in attendance to its services – Hebrews 10:23-25 – “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (EXPAND AS LED)
> Be faithful in your area of ministry – 1 Corinthians 15:58 – “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (Nursery, Sunday School—whatever)…
---Be faithful to BE there.
---Be faithful to be ON TIME.
---Be faithful to serve WITH A CHEERFUL SPIRIT.
Be faithful in giving to God through your local church. – Again, we’ve covered that, so I won’t go over it again.
V. LET’S THINK LASTLY ABOUT THE REWARD OF FAITHFULNESS –
The Bible abounds with promises of God’s blessings upon those who are faithful.
Proverbs 28:20 says “A faithful man shall abound with blessings…” I don’t know about you, but I want God’s blessings in my life. But without faithfulness, you will never have those blessings!
In Psalm 101:6 God says “Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me…” Do you see it? God’s eye is on you in a special way when you are faithful.
What does it mean to have God’s eye upon you? If God is omnipresent and omniscient, doesn’t God’s eye see everyone? Of course—but there is a difference between seeing someone and having one’s eye on someone.
Illus. – The difference can be illustrated like this: Suppose I’m walking down the street and I see you. I wave and then go on about my business. Perhaps I even stop and talk to you for a few moments. When I get home, I say to my wife, “Hey Babe, I saw so-and-so today downtown.” That’s SEEING SOMEONE.
Now, suppose on the other hand, I have a three-year-old son and I take him with me down the same street.
As we walk, I’m constantly keeping my eye on him. I watch where he goes, and observe carefully what he does, and supervise him, and talk to him, and direct him and I am careful of his every action. Now THAT’S KEEPING ONE’S EYE ON SOMEONE.
When God’s eye is upon the faithful of the land, it means that God gives His SPECIAL care and attention to them. I want that, don’t you? I WANT TO BE FAITHFUL! And I want YOU to be faithful.
CONCLUSION
God is looking for faithful people. He commands and rewards faithfulness.
Now let me ask you… Are you a faithful man or woman? Are you a faithful teenager or child?
Perhaps as I spoke this morning, God pinpointed an area in which you have neglected to be faithful. Why lose the blessing of the special care and attention of God?
1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Why don’t you confess your sin this evening and resolve in your heart that, with God’s help, you will be faithful.
